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Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences
Objective: It has been shown that stress in the workplace can contribute to the development or wo... more Objective: It has been shown that stress in the workplace can contribute to the development or worsening of mental health conditions, as well as having a negative impact on personal relationships and life outside of work. Therefore, prolonged job stress can be damaging to an individual's mental health and wellbeing, potentially leading to burnout. There is limited research surrounding the wellbeing of nuclear medicine technologists practicing globally, and more specifically in Australia. This interpretative phenomenological study seeks the lived experience of nuclear medicine technologists within a large metropolitan city in Australia, how these experiences and COVID-19 has impacted their wellbeing. Methods: Five participants were recruited who had greater than five years working experience as a nuclear medicine technologist. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews conducted online via Zoom to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions. The data was transcribed and analysed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) protocols. Results: One superordinate theme: systemic regard, demoralizing burnout, protective maturity, overarched four subordinate themes: staying physically and psychologically safe; risk of burnout; maturity as protective against burnout; and COVID-19 drain. Pressures both prior to and during COVID-19 leave the participants feeling undervalued, discredited, and at risk of burnout. However, maturity brings confidence to incorporate their strengths in a more holistic view of life. Glimmers of positivity come from choices to alter their career path and the unexpected opportunities to spend time with family through COVID-19 restrictions. Discussion: Overall, the participants of this study expressed a lack of positivity about their own individual experiences within their career. Occupational stress, caused by workplace bullying, increased workload and understaffing increased their risk of burnout. Although as the participants matured, their ability to cope with occupational stressors improved. The recent COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the participants' risk of burnout. Conclusion: Due to a number of contributing workplace factors, exacerbated by the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, participants in this study appeared to have an increased risk of developing burnout. However, maturity and life experience has helped mitigate this risk. RÉSUME Objectif: Il a été démontré que le stress au travail peut contribuer au développement ou à l'aggravation de troubles de la santé mentale, et avoir une incidence négative sur les relations personnelles et la vie en dehors du travail. Par conséquent, un stress professionnel prolongé peut être préjudiciable à la santé mentale et au bien-être d'un individu, et peut conduire à l'épuisement professionnel. Il existe peu de recherches sur le bien-être des technologues en médecine nucléaire dans le monde, et plus particulièrement en Australie. Cette Ethical approval: Ethical approval was obtained from The University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC-2020-0085) prior to the commencement of this study. Declaration of Competing Interest: The ICMJE disclosure for has been completed for all authors. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Daphne James is an Associate Editor at JMIRS but was blinded to the decision making process.
Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, 2021
Clinical placement is an important component of any undergraduate nuclear medicine program. For f... more Clinical placement is an important component of any undergraduate nuclear medicine program. For first-year students, it is an introduction to clinical nuclear medicine, which helps them better understand the profession as well as consolidate their learning to date. Clinical placements for first-year students usually take the form of 2 wk of full-time attendance at a nuclear medicine site. At the University of Newcastle, in Australia, part of the clinical placement course includes radiopharmacy laboratory sessions in a simulated environment to develop necessary skills and confidence. Because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, restrictions were put in place that meant cancelling clinical placements for first-year students and reducing time in the radiopharmacy laboratory from 2 h to 1 h per session. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a clinical alternative portfolio in lieu of clinical placement was effective in increasing the students' knowledge and skills in nuclear medicine practice and whether specifically developed instructional videos for preparation of the radiopharmacy laboratory sessions compensated for the reduced time. Methods: A paper-based survey was given to the 50 students enrolled in the first-year professional practice course. This survey, containing 56 questions, consisted of both open questions and closed Likert-scale questions about the changes to the radiopharmacy laboratory sessions and the clinical alternative portfolio in 2 separate sections. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was performed on the resulting data. Results: There was a 94% response rate to the survey. Most students watched the preparatory radiopharmacy videos at least once and strongly agreed that each video adequately prepared them for the associated laboratory session. Just over half (51%) the students thought the reduced time in the laboratory was sufficient to complete the required tasks. Most students agreed that the modules included in the clinical alternative portfolio increased their knowledge of nuclear medicine practice. Conclusion: Despite the restrictions put in place because of COVID-19, the learning outcomes of the first-year nuclear medicine professional practice course were met. The preparatory videos for the radiopharmacy laboratory sessions and the clinical alternative portfolio were positively received and gave the students a good introduction to clinical nuclear medicine.
Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 2021
Clinical placement is an integral part of medical radiation science student learning and developm... more Clinical placement is an integral part of medical radiation science student learning and development. Clinical placement provides opportunity for students to apply their theoretical knowledge and enable students to prepare for their future professional practice. Clinical supervisors have a significant role in this process to facilitate student learning on clinical placement. However, clinical supervisors often have little formal training to supervising students on placement and will default to their own previous learning experience. There is a need to provide an educational perspective from tertiary education partners to assist medical radiation practitioners in their role of supervising students. This paper is a collaboration between Australian Nuclear Medicine University partners with the aim to support and educate nuclear medicine technologists, and indeed all medical radiation practitioners to competently fulfil their role regarding student supervision and assessment.
Radiography, 2020
Introduction: A videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) is a fluoroscopic examination conducted... more Introduction: A videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) is a fluoroscopic examination conducted by radiographers and speech-language therapists (SLTs) to assess dysphagia. Given the potential of SLTs to feed patients during the procedure, they may be exposed to radiation. The research aimed to assess radiation protection practices utilised by SLTs to determine if radiographers have a role in providing ongoing practical education. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to SLTs from six countries (
Nuclear Medicine Communications, 2008
Objective This study aims to compare dual tracer, dual phase pinhole technetium-99m labelled 2-me... more Objective This study aims to compare dual tracer, dual phase pinhole technetium-99m labelled 2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99m Tc-MIBI) imaging (including oblique imaging), with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images, and combined SPECT, dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images and anterior pinhole thyroid images for the localization of parathyroid adenomas in the neck in primary hyperparathyroidism. Methods Sixty-two patients underwent 99m Tc-MIBI dual phase, anterior and anterior oblique pinhole images of the neck, anterior planar images of the neck and chest and early phase neck/chest SPECT followed by [ 99m Tc] pertechnetate anterior and anterior oblique pinhole thyroid images. Images were reviewed by consensus in three combinations-dual phase anterior and anterior oblique pinhole 99m Tc-MIBI images and pinhole thyroid images; SPECT and dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images and combined SPECT, dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images and anterior pinhole thyroid images. Results For 52 parathyroid adenomas in 50 patients, the sensitivity of dual phase anterior and anterior oblique pinhole 99m Tc-images and pinhole thyroid images was 81%. Significantly lower sensitivities were observed with SPECT and dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images (54%, P = 0.0005) and combined SPECT, dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images and anterior pinhole thyroid images (65%, P = 0.0209). The positive predictive value for all imaging combinations was 88-92%. Conclusion Dual phase anterior and anterior oblique pinhole 99m Tc-MIBI images and pinhole thyroid images are significantly more sensitive than imaging combinations that included SPECT and remains the optimal imaging protocol for the localization of parathyroid adenomas in the neck in primary hyperparathyroidism. Nucl Med Commun
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, 2006
Clinical Nuclear Medicine, 2003
There are occasional reports of a hiatal hernia demonstrating thoracic uptake on I-131 scintigrap... more There are occasional reports of a hiatal hernia demonstrating thoracic uptake on I-131 scintigraphy. This is a cause of a potential false-positive appearance mimicking a pulmonary or mediastinal metastasis. Hiatal hernia is 1 of a number of causes of false-positive I-131 whole-body scans. Although previous case reports have demonstrated uptake to lie to the left of the midline, this case is slightly unusual in view of the midline appearance of the uptake. Although this appearance could be seen with mediastinal, pulmonary, or prevertebral metastases, hiatal hernia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of uptake in the thoracic midline on I-131 scintigraphy.
Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 2021
OBJECTIVE Burnout is seen as an occupational phenomenon related to workplace stress. Professional... more OBJECTIVE Burnout is seen as an occupational phenomenon related to workplace stress. Professional groups within medical imaging and radiation science have been reported to suffer from burnout in the past, however research into the profession has been limited. This systematic review aims to evaluate literature measuring levels and prevalence of burnout in the professional groups within medical imaging and radiation science (MIRS). These being radiographers (radiological technologists), sonographers, radiation therapists (therapeutic radiographers) and nuclear medicine technologists. METHODS Electronic databases including Medline, Embase, Psycinfo and CINAHL were searched to locate studies published in English from 2000 that used a questionnaire/survey to measure burnout in the MIRS population. Also included were studies that measured burnout in a larger healthcare group that included MIRS professionals, as long as the MIRS professionals were reported as a separate group. RESULTS Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria; two of these articles reported the same data and therefore were combined to leave 15 studies to review. Of the radiation therapy group, seven of the nine studies reported low or moderate burnout amongst their participants. One study reported high levels of burnout in the emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation domains, and another reported high emotional exhaustion levels. Within the other MIRS professions, five of the six studies reported moderate burnout. One group of sonographers had high levels of burnout in the emotional exhaustion domain. CONCLUSION For the past 20 years, levels of burnout in MIRS professionals has remained relatively steady, with the majority of studies reporting moderate levels of burnout. However, more research is needed in radiographers, sonographers and nuclear medicine technologists. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Even though the review indicates moderate level of burnout, this needs addressing on an organisational and individual level to ensure stress in the workplace is managed before burnout becomes a significant issue.
Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences
Objective: It has been shown that stress in the workplace can contribute to the development or wo... more Objective: It has been shown that stress in the workplace can contribute to the development or worsening of mental health conditions, as well as having a negative impact on personal relationships and life outside of work. Therefore, prolonged job stress can be damaging to an individual's mental health and wellbeing, potentially leading to burnout. There is limited research surrounding the wellbeing of nuclear medicine technologists practicing globally, and more specifically in Australia. This interpretative phenomenological study seeks the lived experience of nuclear medicine technologists within a large metropolitan city in Australia, how these experiences and COVID-19 has impacted their wellbeing. Methods: Five participants were recruited who had greater than five years working experience as a nuclear medicine technologist. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews conducted online via Zoom to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions. The data was transcribed and analysed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) protocols. Results: One superordinate theme: systemic regard, demoralizing burnout, protective maturity, overarched four subordinate themes: staying physically and psychologically safe; risk of burnout; maturity as protective against burnout; and COVID-19 drain. Pressures both prior to and during COVID-19 leave the participants feeling undervalued, discredited, and at risk of burnout. However, maturity brings confidence to incorporate their strengths in a more holistic view of life. Glimmers of positivity come from choices to alter their career path and the unexpected opportunities to spend time with family through COVID-19 restrictions. Discussion: Overall, the participants of this study expressed a lack of positivity about their own individual experiences within their career. Occupational stress, caused by workplace bullying, increased workload and understaffing increased their risk of burnout. Although as the participants matured, their ability to cope with occupational stressors improved. The recent COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the participants' risk of burnout. Conclusion: Due to a number of contributing workplace factors, exacerbated by the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, participants in this study appeared to have an increased risk of developing burnout. However, maturity and life experience has helped mitigate this risk. RÉSUME Objectif: Il a été démontré que le stress au travail peut contribuer au développement ou à l'aggravation de troubles de la santé mentale, et avoir une incidence négative sur les relations personnelles et la vie en dehors du travail. Par conséquent, un stress professionnel prolongé peut être préjudiciable à la santé mentale et au bien-être d'un individu, et peut conduire à l'épuisement professionnel. Il existe peu de recherches sur le bien-être des technologues en médecine nucléaire dans le monde, et plus particulièrement en Australie. Cette Ethical approval: Ethical approval was obtained from The University of Newcastle Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC-2020-0085) prior to the commencement of this study. Declaration of Competing Interest: The ICMJE disclosure for has been completed for all authors. The authors declare no conflict of interest. Daphne James is an Associate Editor at JMIRS but was blinded to the decision making process.
Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology, 2021
Clinical placement is an important component of any undergraduate nuclear medicine program. For f... more Clinical placement is an important component of any undergraduate nuclear medicine program. For first-year students, it is an introduction to clinical nuclear medicine, which helps them better understand the profession as well as consolidate their learning to date. Clinical placements for first-year students usually take the form of 2 wk of full-time attendance at a nuclear medicine site. At the University of Newcastle, in Australia, part of the clinical placement course includes radiopharmacy laboratory sessions in a simulated environment to develop necessary skills and confidence. Because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, restrictions were put in place that meant cancelling clinical placements for first-year students and reducing time in the radiopharmacy laboratory from 2 h to 1 h per session. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a clinical alternative portfolio in lieu of clinical placement was effective in increasing the students' knowledge and skills in nuclear medicine practice and whether specifically developed instructional videos for preparation of the radiopharmacy laboratory sessions compensated for the reduced time. Methods: A paper-based survey was given to the 50 students enrolled in the first-year professional practice course. This survey, containing 56 questions, consisted of both open questions and closed Likert-scale questions about the changes to the radiopharmacy laboratory sessions and the clinical alternative portfolio in 2 separate sections. Quantitative and qualitative analysis was performed on the resulting data. Results: There was a 94% response rate to the survey. Most students watched the preparatory radiopharmacy videos at least once and strongly agreed that each video adequately prepared them for the associated laboratory session. Just over half (51%) the students thought the reduced time in the laboratory was sufficient to complete the required tasks. Most students agreed that the modules included in the clinical alternative portfolio increased their knowledge of nuclear medicine practice. Conclusion: Despite the restrictions put in place because of COVID-19, the learning outcomes of the first-year nuclear medicine professional practice course were met. The preparatory videos for the radiopharmacy laboratory sessions and the clinical alternative portfolio were positively received and gave the students a good introduction to clinical nuclear medicine.
Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 2021
Clinical placement is an integral part of medical radiation science student learning and developm... more Clinical placement is an integral part of medical radiation science student learning and development. Clinical placement provides opportunity for students to apply their theoretical knowledge and enable students to prepare for their future professional practice. Clinical supervisors have a significant role in this process to facilitate student learning on clinical placement. However, clinical supervisors often have little formal training to supervising students on placement and will default to their own previous learning experience. There is a need to provide an educational perspective from tertiary education partners to assist medical radiation practitioners in their role of supervising students. This paper is a collaboration between Australian Nuclear Medicine University partners with the aim to support and educate nuclear medicine technologists, and indeed all medical radiation practitioners to competently fulfil their role regarding student supervision and assessment.
Radiography, 2020
Introduction: A videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) is a fluoroscopic examination conducted... more Introduction: A videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) is a fluoroscopic examination conducted by radiographers and speech-language therapists (SLTs) to assess dysphagia. Given the potential of SLTs to feed patients during the procedure, they may be exposed to radiation. The research aimed to assess radiation protection practices utilised by SLTs to determine if radiographers have a role in providing ongoing practical education. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed to SLTs from six countries (
Nuclear Medicine Communications, 2008
Objective This study aims to compare dual tracer, dual phase pinhole technetium-99m labelled 2-me... more Objective This study aims to compare dual tracer, dual phase pinhole technetium-99m labelled 2-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99m Tc-MIBI) imaging (including oblique imaging), with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images, and combined SPECT, dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images and anterior pinhole thyroid images for the localization of parathyroid adenomas in the neck in primary hyperparathyroidism. Methods Sixty-two patients underwent 99m Tc-MIBI dual phase, anterior and anterior oblique pinhole images of the neck, anterior planar images of the neck and chest and early phase neck/chest SPECT followed by [ 99m Tc] pertechnetate anterior and anterior oblique pinhole thyroid images. Images were reviewed by consensus in three combinations-dual phase anterior and anterior oblique pinhole 99m Tc-MIBI images and pinhole thyroid images; SPECT and dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images and combined SPECT, dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images and anterior pinhole thyroid images. Results For 52 parathyroid adenomas in 50 patients, the sensitivity of dual phase anterior and anterior oblique pinhole 99m Tc-images and pinhole thyroid images was 81%. Significantly lower sensitivities were observed with SPECT and dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images (54%, P = 0.0005) and combined SPECT, dual phase planar 99m Tc-MIBI images and anterior pinhole thyroid images (65%, P = 0.0209). The positive predictive value for all imaging combinations was 88-92%. Conclusion Dual phase anterior and anterior oblique pinhole 99m Tc-MIBI images and pinhole thyroid images are significantly more sensitive than imaging combinations that included SPECT and remains the optimal imaging protocol for the localization of parathyroid adenomas in the neck in primary hyperparathyroidism. Nucl Med Commun
Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, 2006
Clinical Nuclear Medicine, 2003
There are occasional reports of a hiatal hernia demonstrating thoracic uptake on I-131 scintigrap... more There are occasional reports of a hiatal hernia demonstrating thoracic uptake on I-131 scintigraphy. This is a cause of a potential false-positive appearance mimicking a pulmonary or mediastinal metastasis. Hiatal hernia is 1 of a number of causes of false-positive I-131 whole-body scans. Although previous case reports have demonstrated uptake to lie to the left of the midline, this case is slightly unusual in view of the midline appearance of the uptake. Although this appearance could be seen with mediastinal, pulmonary, or prevertebral metastases, hiatal hernia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of uptake in the thoracic midline on I-131 scintigraphy.
Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, 2021
OBJECTIVE Burnout is seen as an occupational phenomenon related to workplace stress. Professional... more OBJECTIVE Burnout is seen as an occupational phenomenon related to workplace stress. Professional groups within medical imaging and radiation science have been reported to suffer from burnout in the past, however research into the profession has been limited. This systematic review aims to evaluate literature measuring levels and prevalence of burnout in the professional groups within medical imaging and radiation science (MIRS). These being radiographers (radiological technologists), sonographers, radiation therapists (therapeutic radiographers) and nuclear medicine technologists. METHODS Electronic databases including Medline, Embase, Psycinfo and CINAHL were searched to locate studies published in English from 2000 that used a questionnaire/survey to measure burnout in the MIRS population. Also included were studies that measured burnout in a larger healthcare group that included MIRS professionals, as long as the MIRS professionals were reported as a separate group. RESULTS Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria; two of these articles reported the same data and therefore were combined to leave 15 studies to review. Of the radiation therapy group, seven of the nine studies reported low or moderate burnout amongst their participants. One study reported high levels of burnout in the emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation domains, and another reported high emotional exhaustion levels. Within the other MIRS professions, five of the six studies reported moderate burnout. One group of sonographers had high levels of burnout in the emotional exhaustion domain. CONCLUSION For the past 20 years, levels of burnout in MIRS professionals has remained relatively steady, with the majority of studies reporting moderate levels of burnout. However, more research is needed in radiographers, sonographers and nuclear medicine technologists. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Even though the review indicates moderate level of burnout, this needs addressing on an organisational and individual level to ensure stress in the workplace is managed before burnout becomes a significant issue.