If a patient is nervous, how will you calm them down?

"Knowing that I can't make promises to patients about a diagnosis, I find the best approach to patient care is to the personable and knowledgeable on my processes. I make small talk with the patient to help build trust. On top of that, I talk about the equipment that I'm using and explain what it will be doing to help the physician better see what is going on inside of them. By taking this approach, I find that patients are able to calm down and relax for the images to be taken."

You may be used to the routine of imaging patients with fractures and mysterious illnesses, but patients come into the room with a lot of questions and fears. It's not the machine or the radiation they fear, it's the unknown. As an X-Ray technician, it's important to understand where the patient is coming from. They can have a lot of anxiety around their recent diagnosis and the fear that things are much worse than they appear. Your role is to educate them about the procedure, answer questions and showing your care for their situation. You cannot reassure them everything will be fine, but you can remind them what a good thing it is that they are there, taking time to investigate what's going on. Getting an X-Ray or a CT Scan is essential to identifying specific health problems. Do your best to explain what you're doing and how it will be helpful for them to start the treatment process.

"Coming into a dark exam room can be very intimidating for patients. To help calm them down, I make as much conversation with them as I can while explaining every step of the process that I am taking. I find that in educating them on what I'm doing, they have a better understanding for the process and are much more calm when taking the image that is needed."