The Radiographic Science Department is located in the Kasiska College of Health Professions,
Building 66 on upper campus. The Dean of the College is Linda Hatzenbeuhler. Each year
approximately 18-20 students are admitted into the program. The program has a fixed enrollment
because of the limited number of clinical sites in Southeastern Idaho. We as a faculty are
constantly seeking for ways to increase the number of students selected; however, because of the
rural nature of SE Idaho this has presented difficulty for us.
Once a student is selected into program it lasts 5 consecutive semesters. The application deadline
is February 15th for the class starting the next fall semester. Currently we have about 60
applications each year for the 18-20 selected spots. Clinical rotations begin during the first
semester of the program and last the entire length of the program. The junior students attend
clinical for 16 hours per week and the senior students attend clinical for 24 hours per week. Also,
students perform a summer clinical rotation, which lasts of 8 consecutive weeks, 8 hours per day
Monday through Friday.
Upon completion of the program and after passing the Registry Exam administered by the
'American Registry for Radiologic Technologists' (ARRT), the students become Registered
Technologists. This allows them to use the initials R.T(R) after their names. R.T.(R) stands for
Registered Technologist (Radiographer). A word that is commonly misused is the word
technician. Radiographers prefer to be called x-ray technologists or radiographers and NOT xray technicians. X-ray technician denotes someone who has been trained on the job and has little
formal education. Please use the word Radiographer or Technologists when speaking to
graduates from educational programs such as Idaho State University.
At this juncture it may be interesting to note that graduate technologists from the program at ISU
are employed all over the United States.
Faculty
The Faculty members consist of Chuck Francis, Department Chair, Dan Hobbs (me), Associate
Professor, and Wendy Mickelsen, Instructor. Our offices are located on the main level of
Building 66, Room 225. If you would like to make an appointment with one of the faculty
members you may call Janet Alvarez, Office Assistant at 282-4042. Janet's hours are 8:00 a.m. to
12:00 p.m. Monday - Friday. Always feel free to send an email or call us directly.
We encourage all students interested in the program to make an appointment with one of us. This
is important as we need to assure that you are registered for the correct classes and it gives you
an opportunity to meet us. Also, it is very important that you understand the selection process
prior to taking all of the pre-professional years I and II courses. Please listen to this advice and
use it to your advantage. We are here to help you succeed.
Chuck: franchar@isu.edu
Dan: hobbsdan@isu.edu
Wendy: mickwend@isu.edu
Janet: alvajane@isu.edu
The Classroom
The classroom, has two energized x-ray rooms, and a computer lab located in the basement of
Building 66, Rm 119. Students selected into the program begin during the fall semester and
immediately begin training in the labs. During this semester students are introduced to to all
aspects of the imaging suite. A darkroom and film processing class is one of the first courses
offered. Radiographic Science lectures are presented here during the two year academic
adventure.
Faculty members are diverse and use a variety of multimedia teaching aides. The classroom is
equipped with the newest and latest instructional devices. It is comfortable and is the envy of
other ISU faculty. During the spring semester of 2002 the students were surprised with new desk
chairs. Hopefully, we are not making it too comfortable for learning to occur. A pentium 4 class
computer with DVD+-RW, DVD, USB2 ports, 19" flat panel monitor, VCR, and slide projector
are routinely used during lectures.
A three station computer lab is available in the suite for student use. It is here that students have
access to the Internet, software, and web instructional material. A printer is also available.
Adjacent to the department is another lab that houses 14 additional computer stations. This lab is
serviceable to all students in the College of Health Professions.
Computers
Computers are used to review radiographs in class and at your leisure. Objectives are written to
help you learn independently, but faculty are always available for consultation. The department
has obtained a computed radiography (CR) unit. This machine will lead the way for the Rad
Sciences well into the 21st century.
Digital images are used extensively in the didactic educational process. Most students have
access to personal computers outside of the classroom. Although it is not required, it has been a
tremendous help for students to have access to the Internet at home. Several tests and quizzes are
administered online, and other computer labs on campus are oft times used for these tests and
quizzes. Additionally, the campus has a Instruction Technology Resource Department that
provides a wireless lab that can be brought to the classroom for testing purposes. Though not a
requirement several students bring their personal laptops to class for taking tests and/or notes in
class.
Phantoms
Radiographic phantoms are used to simulate patients during lab assignments. Students make
exposures on these phantoms, and evaluate positioning as well as the technical attributes of the
study. The full body phantom has been named Ms. Pixie. Here she is shown without her wig. She
boasts a complete skeleton and can be moved on and off of the x-ray tables.
In this image the students are positioning Ms. Pixie for a lumbar spine routine. After students
position the phantom and make the exposure the radiograph will be reviewed by the group. The
position of Ms. Pixie is a left lateral for the L5-S1 joint space. Notice the x-ray tube. It is angled
toward the feet. This term is called a "caudad" tube angle. Caudad or caudal means tail or
"toward the tail end." When it is used in an imaging setting it refers to an angle of the x-ray tube
toward the feet. The opposite term is "cephalic" or cephalad. A "cephalic" tube tilt would mean
to angle the x-ray tube toward the head end of the patient. These terms are presented in RS310
during the first fall semester.
During a majority of the positioning labs, students simulate positioning routines on each other
and sometimes on me. It is a requirement in some of the positioning labs to wear scrubs. This
requirement makes it easier to practice positioning on each other. We do not make exposures on
each other because of the hazardous nature of ionizing radiation. However, the lab prepares the
student for the experience that will take place in the hospital and clinic setting. The idea is to
become competent in performing exams in a lab setting before exposing patients. This
competency based curricula assures that appropriate cognitive and psychomotor skills are
developed prior to real life situations. During the lab, time is set aside to evaluate radiographs
and to determine if proper exposure values were used.
This is X-ray Room #1
This is a new x-ray unit purchased and installed during the summer of 2005. During the first
semester students learn to set the various selector buttons and knobs located at the control
station. The main variables are mA which controls the density, and kVp which controls the
contrast on a radiograph. The density is the amount of blackness on the completed radiograph,
and the contrast is the variation in the density.
Room #1 has a floating table top. This means that when the x-ray tube is aligned with the
cassette that the technologist can move "float" the top of the table in all directions. This allows
for great flexibility when exposing various body parts. The bucky is a device that holds the x-ray
cassette. It also has the capability of movement underneath the x-ray table. This allows in great
flexibility when radiographing several areas of the body on the same patient. Additionally, this
room houses an upright bucky, which allows the student to practice positioning on an erect
patient.
This is X-ray Room #2
Room #2 also has a floating table top. Both of these rooms have an overhead tube assembly. This
means that the x-ray tube is mounted to an overhead crane on the ceiling, which allows
movement of the tube in almost any direction and place in the room. A student can also expose
radiographs of Ms. Pixie (the phantom) on the stretcher by moving the overhead tube. This helps
to simulate real life scenarios in a laboratory setting.
This room also contains an upright bucky. Again, this device also allows simulation of
radiographs that are exposed in an upright position. A chest x-ray would be an example of such a
procedure. It may be of interest to note that lab sizes are limited to 4 or 5 students. This allows
students the ability to practice 1 on 1 and to use all of the features of both of these room.
Cassettes
Also available for student use are several cassettes of various sizes. These hinged cassettes
contain the x-ray film and can be opened like a book.
Once an x-ray film has been exposed it must be developed before the latent image can be
manifest. This manifest image then becomes the finished product or radiograph. This process
happens in a darkened room.
The Darkroom
Let's walk through the process of exposing a film.
First, a phantom is placed on a cassette. Next, the x-ray tube is placed above the phantom at the
correct distance, which is 40-44 inches. The technique is set on the control panel and the film is
exposed. The cassette is then taken to the darkroom and the film is developed.
In the darkroom there is a processor. This graphic shows the processor on the inside of the
darkroom and this graphic illustrates the processor as seen from the outside of the darkroom. The
processor is a piece of equipment that holds liquid chemicals which are used to develop the
exposed film and produce an x-ray image. Because x-ray film is light sensitive this process must
take place in a darkened room; hence, the name "darkroom."
The film used at Idaho State University is manufactured by Agfa and is sensitive to x-radiation
and room light. For this reason safelights are turned on when exposed film is removed from the
cassettes. This allows for the student radiographer to see in the darkened environment. These
'red' lights will not expose the radiographic film because the film IS NOT red light sensitive.
Next, the film is transported through several sets of rollers. These rollers move the film through
the developing and fixing solutions and then to a dryer.
This is what the inside of the processor looks like as seen from above. This image demonstrates
the cross-over rollers, which are part of the transport mechanism of the processor.
The film bin is located in the darkroom. This is a light tight metal container that houses boxes of
x-ray film. It should never be opened in the light. If this were to happen the unexposed film
would become exposed by the light and the film would be ruined. This could result in a very
costly mistake.
Once the film bin is opened in the dark a new unexposed film is placed back into the cassette.
The cassette can then be used again for another exposure.
The processor contains chemicals that act on the exposed film. This developing agent 'develops'
the exposed silver bromide crystals that are embedded in the emulsion of the film. A chemical
called the fixer is then used to 'fix' the exposed silver bromide onto the radiograph. The film
continues to roll through a set of rollers to the drying section of the processor. This process takes
90 seconds from start to finish. Students then evaluate the finished product and an evaluation
with an instructor completes this process.
Computed Radiography
The department is fortunate to have a "State of the Art" Computed Radiography unit. When it
was new (2002) it was the first unit of its kind to be installed in Southeastern Idaho. The
abbreviation for this unit is "CR" and there are very few Radiography Programs in the United
States that have acquired this type of equipment. Idaho State University is very fortunate! This
equipment utilizes imaging plates in place of cassettes and does not require wet processing. After
exposure these imaging plates are read in a CR reader and the digital image is transferred to a
computer where the images can be manipulated and viewed. If desired a hard copy can be
generated with a laser camera. This image shows several of the computers that are used for this
process. In addition, this image shows a laser camera that will produce a "hard copy" radiograph.
It is called the Drystar 3000. This machine utilizes produces a radiograph without using any wet
processing chemicals.
Currently, CR is introduced to students during the 2nd semester in the program. Additionally, the
department has acquired a 'film digitizer'. This has given us the capability of transferring images
to a web server for viewing images from off campus. This has been a tremendous advantage for
the faculty and students alike. Radiographs can be scanned with this machine. The process is
similar to scanning a document with a "home scanner," however; in this case the digital image
can be stored and retrieved for use on demand.
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