How to Answer: What would you do if the X-Ray machine was not working correctly?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a XRay Technician job interview.
9. What would you do if the X-Ray machine was not working correctly?
How to Answer
Use your problem solving skills! Talk about how you would troubleshoot to identify the problem. What steps would you take first? Talk about your routine maintenance, checks that you do throughout the day to prevent problems from happening. You could start by saying, 'It depends on what the issue is...' and follow up by talking about what you do if the imaging is blurry. Sometimes you simply need to re-position the patient so that they can be still. If it's not turning on or printing images, tell them the steps you would follow to further investigate.
Written by Ryan Brunner on June 18th, 2018
Entry Level
"If I experienced an issue on one of the x-ray machines, I would follow the proper procedures for ensuring that the issue was corrected in a timely manner. I would start by diagnosing the issue to find out what the particular issue was. Then, I would walk through all of the steps that I could take like adjusting settings and rebooting the unit to see if the issue could be corrected. If it couldn't from those steps, I would contact my supervisor to see how to handle the next steps."
Written by Ryan Brunner on June 18th, 2018
Answer Example
"Unfortunately, issues with the equipment do happen and protocols are in place with my current employer to handle issues. First, I have to step back and look at the issue that the machine is having. If images aren't coming out as needed, I have settings steps to walk through adjustments. From there, if the issue continues, we contact customer support and move patients to our mobile backup unit for imaging in the meantime. If the unit simply won't function properly, we contact our customer support for the machine and move patients to our mobile unit immediately. Usually, customer support for the unit can fix the issues remotely with myself on the phone."
Written by Ryan Brunner on June 18th, 2018
Experienced
"Like with any piece of equipment, x-ray machines do have issues and I've had a lot of experience troubleshooting issues. If I notice that a machine isn't working properly, I start by finding out exactly what the issue is and work from there to help solve it. If it looks like the machine will be down and out for a period of time, I communicate to my team so we can handle our patients accordingly. From there, I walk through the troubleshooting manual for the machine which comes in very handy. Most of the time, I'm able to solve the problem with the manual. In the case the issue doesn't get fixed, we simply make a call to the manufacturer and they attempt to walk me through additional troubleshooting tactics over the phone."
Written by Ryan Brunner on June 18th, 2018