Yay clinicals! This is an exciting time once you get here! I want to help make this a successful and pleasant experience for you and give you some do’s and don’ts for your time there. Let’s dive in!
Do's
Embrace A Learning Attitude:
This is so important when you come into the clinical setting! We want you to want to be here and we want you to want to learn how to become proficient at scanning! Some of the best things that you can do is come in with…
- A good attitude
- A drive to learn new things
- The ability to be open for constructive criticism
- An open mind
- The ability to be flexible and adaptable
Ask Questions:
Don’t ever hesitate to ask questions if you don’t know something. Even us sonographers ask for help or for clarification if we don’t understand something or have just stumbled upon new pathology that we have never seen before. A lot of the times we will ask for help if we have a challenging case or call the radiologists and ask for guidance.
As a clinical instructor, we want you to ask questions. Our job is to instruct you and to teach you different scanning methods and different ways to think about things. You asking questions acknowledges that you truly care to learn and are interested in the exam and profession as a whole.
However, try to refrain from asking the same question over and over again. If you are having difficulty remembering something write it down. We are okay with answering as many questions as you have as long as it is not the same one. Reason for that is because we want you to listen and take in what we are saying. Read below.
Listen and Take Notes:
This is important! To go along with the paragraph above, we don’t want to repeat ourselves too often. If you ask the same questions repeatedly we start to wonder if you are not listening or if you don’t care enough to remember. It is best to take notes in these types of situations.
I always say to carry around a small notebook and pen. You can take this in the exam room with you too. I have never met a clinical instructor that frowns upon this. In fact, we all encourage it!
Don'ts
Rush Through The Exam:
We understand that you are a student and that you will be slow. That is okay! You are here to learn and we expect it to take some time. That is why clinical internship is a whole year long.
Rushing through exams will make you miss pathology, make you forget to take images per the protocol, and make your image quality quite… awful. We don’t expect perfect, but we do expect diagnostic.
Just remember that when you are scanning, to take a deep breath, slow down, don’t focus on the time, and do your best to fully sweep through the organs and vessels. If you fully sweep through the organs and really focus, you won’t miss pathology.
Think You Know Everything:
You are a student, it is impossible to know everything. In fact, us sonographers don’t know everything! It is said that a “seasoned” sonographer means that you have scanning for 10+ years. Anything before that you are still a baby in the ultrasound world. I can agree with this because there are so many different types of pathology and the same pathology can present differently in different patients. It takes many years of practice in this profession to have a good grasp on things.
Say No To An Exam:
Always scan every exam that is offered to you! Never decline a single exam. You need the practice. I know it is scary your first couple times scanning real patients but just remember that your clinical instructor is there to help guide you through it! We want you to succeed and the best way to get there is to scan as many patients as you can.
That's A Wrap
I hope this was helpful to you going into clinicals. I know this is an exciting and scary time but you will be just fine! Trust your clinical instructors (they know what they are doing) and trust yourself. You are going to be an amazing sonographer, just give it time and practice!
