Radiographer, NESM Hospital, Scottsdale

Qualifications

• Master of Applied Science (Medical Ultrasound) – Charles Sturt University
• Graduate Diploma in Ultrasonography – Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
• Diploma of Diagnostic Radiography - University of Tasmania

Previous Research

MAppSc Dissertation “The Development of Guidelines for Dealing with Patients Who Are Diagnosed At Ultrasound as Having Miscarried: An Action Research Approach”

Current Study

Rural Radiography: Life in a small town

Research Proposal

In the rural setting health care professional face a different spectrum of professional conundrums to their city colleagues. In rural practice the position often involves 24 hour call, you know everyone and conversely everyone knows you, but professionally you may be isolated.

Rural Radiographers/Sonographers can be placed in a paradoxical situation where they have the diagnosis of a patient but because this information was acquired in the course of their duties they can not discuss this information with the patient and/or those outside the workplace, but the patient may well assume that they can. In my experience the next part of this complicated process is that the some patients assume that you will discuss the diagnosis with other members of their family and so either save them this difficultly, or inform people that they may well have not wished to be privy to this information. These patients are generally quite surprised to discover that there has been no breach of their confidentiality. This is clearly not a simple issue when the assumption is that you will openly discuss a diagnosis but can not and must carry the weight of this diagnosis unable to unburden through discussion.

This dilemma may well be faced by other rural allied health professionals, and perhaps undergraduates on clinical placement in their home town.

This study will demonstrate how rural radiographers and sonographers cope with imaging family, colleagues and friends being privy to the patients’ diagnosis but are unable to discuss this because of patient confidentiality.

The first stage in this study will be to identify the extent of this problem. Interviews would be used as the main data collection strategy with questions to address Sonographers/Radiographers experience of this phenomenon. The data collected would be analysed thematically with the intention of developing substantive theory that can be used to positively influence how Sonographers/Radiographers are prepared for rural practice.

Following the Bali bombings Royal Darwin Hospital had to deal with unprecedented casualties and rather than have professional counselling the staff chose to deal with their stress through peer discussions. This approach may be worth exploring and testing.

Brief Biography

Radiographer - RHH, RIT, NESM Hospital

I am currently employed as a sole radiographer at NESM Hospital, performing general radiography and associated administrative duties.

Ranger - NPWS Lake St Clair

Sonographer - RIT

My position as a Sonographer involved performing examinations in general,obstetric, gynaecological, MSK, and vascular sonography. This position has also involved supervising and training student sonographers.

Assessor for University of South Australia practical exams in obstetric morphology at 18-20 weeks and upper abdominal ultrasound scans for the Graduate Diploma of Medical Sonography.

Associate Lecturer - UTas

As an Associate Lecturer at University of Tasmania School of Human Life Sciences I taught anatomy and physiology to nursing, biomedical science, health science, human movement and radiography students. This position also involved acting as an examiner for Voce Vivas and anatomy practical exams, marking written exam papers, and acting as coordinator for the joint Medical Imaging degree with CSU, Bachelor of Health Science/Bachelor of Applied Science (Medical Imaging).

Other

• Bushwalking
• Caving
• 3rd Gup Taekwondo

Publications

Bowman S, Squibb KA, 2001, “Breaking Bad News in Obstetric Sonographic Practice” Sound Effects, June 01, pp 14-18

Presentations

• October 2004 School of Human Life Sciences Presentations
  “Ultrasound for Biofeedback in Physiotherapy for assessment of tranversus abdominus and pelvic floor”
• 30 September 2004 ASUM Case Study Evening
  “3VV and 3VT Assessment of the Foetal Heart”
• 18 July 2004 AIR Weekend Seminar
  “UTas / CSU Medical Imaging Degree”