RAB1350 Basic Radiographic Imaging and Exposure -Theory and Skills Course description

Language of instruction: Norwegian

The course deals with radiographic techniques and methodological principles related to conventional radiography. Skeletal and chest examinations make up the majority of examinations. Radiation protection and the principles of practical radiation protection are also an important part of the course. Newly qualified radiographers are expected to carry out such examinations independently and in accordance with professional criteria. This includes meeting the patient's need for communication and care, respond to the patient's illness or injury, and be able to produce and describe diagnostic images.

Parts of the course consists of practical training at diagnostic imaging departments. The practical training focuses on conventional radiography examinations of the skeleton and chest, where students are to gain practical experience of carrying out diagnostic imaging examinations in a satisfactory manner. The practical training gives students experience of both the technical and care aspects of the profession based on relevant theory.

The course consists of 11 weeks of which the first 5 weeks are theory and skills training, and 6 weeks of practical training.

Most of the institutions that make up the external practical training arenas for this programme are located in Oslo and Eastern Norway. The students must therefore expect to commute during one or more of their periods of practical training. Students are assigned to diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy units. It is emphasised that the students should become familiar with the profession early on and that they will have practical training in all three years of the programme.

Students must comply with the clothing regulations in force at the practical training establishment. Special requirements for tests or vaccination may apply at individual establishments.

The following must be passed in order to start the practical training and take the written exam in RAB1350:

• Passed course RAB1200 Anatomy, Physiology, and Fundamentals of X-ray Images
• Passed course RAB1100 Radiation Physics and Radiography

After completing the course, the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student can

• describe general pathological processes and the occurrence and growth of microorganisms
• explain causes and symptoms of diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal and respiratory systems
• explain the chain of infection, the hygiene guidelines and how hospital-acquired infections can be prevented
• describe forms of treatment for relevant diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal and respiratory systems
• explain how to care for patients with diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal and respiratory systems, including observation, communication and care regardless of sex, ethnicity, religion/life stance, functional impairment, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and age
• describe image criteria for X-ray examinations of the musculoskeletal system and thorax
• identify pathology in skeletal and chest X-ray images

Skills

The student can

• apply and master conventional X-ray machines
• assess and choose exposure parameters for conventional radiography examinations
• carry out simple skeletal and chest examinations
• assess which factors influence radiation dose and image quality
• calculate effective dose based on the dose area product (DAP)
• perform practical procedures such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), pulse and blood pressure measurements and patient handling techniques
• identify and describe anatomical structures and obvious pathology in images from skeletal and chest examinations
• describe image criteria and assess image quality for chest and skeletal examinations
• perform simple image processing
• apply medical image and information systems under supervision
• apply relevant hygiene guidelines

General competence

The student can

• understand and apply the principles of practical radiation protection
• give grounds for how skeletal and chest examinations are carried out
• compare radiation doses from conventional radiography examinations with national diagnostic reference levels
• give patients precise and individually information, take care of the patient and create a sense of security during the examination
• demonstrate attitudes that are important to professional practice and cooperate with other

The work and teaching methods include flipped classroom, lectures, seminars, skills training and self-study. In seminars, the students work in groups. Digital learning resources will be made available to students in advance, and the time they spend at the university will be used to work on assignments and group work.

The students will complete six weeks of practical training, of which three weeks of external practical training at diagnostic imaging departments. One week of practical training corresponds to 40 hours of study effort. There are no self study days in this period.

Students must comply with the clothing regulations in force at the practical training establishment. Special requirements for tests or vaccination may apply at individual establishments.

To part 1) Assessment of practical training:

The following must have been approved before the practical training starts:

• an individual practical test in skeletal and chest examinations in accordance with set criteria. The student has two attempts at this test before the practical training starts.
• a minimum attendance of 80 % at scheduled seminars and skills training sessions

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student knows the principles that form the basis for:

• statistical processing of analytical measurement data
• quantitative methods with the use of internal and external standards and standard addition
• acid and base equilibria, preparation of buffer solutions
• molecular spectroscopy techniques such as UV-VIS and fluorescence spectroscopy
• atom spectroscopy techniques such as flame spectroscopy and ICP
• detection limit determination, sources of noise in spectroscopy and chromatography
• chromatographic separation, descriptions of column efficiency and separation ability
• chromatographic techniques such as gas chromatography and liquid chromatography
• quality control and quality assurance in a chemical laboratory

Skills The student is capable of:

• performing quantitative analyses in accordance with specific procedures
• calibrating and adjusting common measurement instruments
• assessing sources of error and calculating the uncertainty in analytical measurements
• choosing the appropriate laboratory equipment and using it correctly
• using different chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques and using the instrumentation correctly to produce reliable measurement data
• using software to aquire and process data from chemical instrumentation
• using Excel in data processing and interpretation

General competence

The student:

• has basic knowledge of quality requirements in a chemical laboratory
• is capable of performing quantitative analyses using different quantification techniques and separation and measurement methods
• has insight into statistical methods for the processing of chemical measurement data
• has knowledge of how accuracy and precision in measurement results are affected by sources of error and uncertainty in instrumentation, procedures and work techniques
• has insight into the application, limitations and functioning of spectroscopic and chromatographic methods

The teaching is organised as lectures, exercises and laboratory instruction.

The following coursework is compulsory and must be approved before the student can sit the exam:

• 5-day laboratory course with 5 written assignments (two individual and three in groups of 2-4 students, 10-20 pages per assignment)
• Some exercise sessions related to the laboratory course will be compulsory. These sessions will be announced separately.

Individual written exam, 3 hours.

The exam result can be appealed.

In the event of a resit or rescheduled exam, oral examination may be used instead of written. If oral exams are used for resit and rescheduled exams, the exam result cannot be appealed.

A handheld calculator that cannot be used for wireless communication or to perform symbolic calculations. If the calculator's internal memory can store data, the memory must be deleted before the exam. Random checks may be carried out.