Course Descriptions

Orientation:                        
Overview of radiation sciences as they relate to the health care team and the hospital environment. Review of Student Handbook and Clinical Notebook. Basic theories and practices relating to radiation protection, patient care, communication, & working in the hospital environment.

Anatomy and Physiology I, II, III, IV, V          
Structure and function of body cells, tissues, organs and systems. Sectional anatomy, including transverse, coronal and sagittal perspectives are also studied.  Skeletons, models, phantoms and radiographs provide for a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology.  Special attention is given to identify anatomy on radiographic images.

Radiographic Procedures I & Lab                                  
This course introduces radiographic positioning principles and provides the technical and positioning information needed to perform and evaluate radiographic examinations of the chest and abdomen on adult and pediatric patients. Emphasis on quality patient care and adaptation to a variety of client conditions will be explored. Labs are included.

Radiographic Procedures II & Lab                 
This course is an extension of Radiographic Procedures I to develop specific skills in upper extremity, shoulder and lower extremity imaging.  Labs are included. Independent decision-making regarding trauma radiography is also included.

GI Procedures                 
This course is an extension of Radiographic Procedures I and will cover gastrointestinal and biliary radiographic procedures, to include contrast use, preparation, indications and contraindications, equipment and room setup, and patient positioning.

Radiographic Procedures III & Lab               
This course is an extension of Radiographic Procedures II to develop specific skills in pelvic, hip, skull, spine, sternum, ribs, and GU system imaging. Labs are included.

Medical Terminology                                                                        
Developing a vocabulary of complex medical words and abbreviations as they apply to specific disease processes, body systems, and injuries.  

Radiographic Image Analysis I       
This course will run in conjunction with the Radiographic procedures I course and will help the student develop a systematic approach to radiographic image analysis, providing opportunities for evaluating images of the chest and abdomen.  Class time will include discussion of analysis criteria, reviewing images, determining acceptability of images, analyzing positioning changes that would improve images, and testing of knowledge gained. 

Radiographic Image Analysis II                                      
This course will run in conjunction with the Radiographic Procedures II course and it an extension of Radiographic Image Analysis I to review images of the upper and lower extremities, and shoulder. Students will participate in small group and other student engagement activities.

Radiographic Image Analysis III
This course will run in conjunction with the Radiographic Procedures III course. It is an extension of Radiographic Image Analysis I and II to review hip, pelvis, spine and skull images. Students will work in pairs to evaluate images and will present their findings.

Patient Care         
Foundation for providing care to clients during radiographic examinations.  Communication techniques and role-playing are included.  Major topics include taking medical histories, basic life support, medical emergencies, vital sign assessment, body mechanics, infection control, sterile techniques, intravenous equipment, and administration.  Advance concepts in client assessment and monitoring to include evaluation and monitoring of clients in pain and of clients in acute and chronic states of illness.

Pathology for the Radiation Sciences            
The goal of Pathology for Radiation Sciences is for the student to gain an understanding of the general pathologic processes.  Topics include:  Introduction to imaging modalities, pathological terms used to describe the bodies response to stress and disease, how the body responds and forms pathological diseases such as: infectious and parasitic diseases, inflammation and repair, immunopathology, neoplasia, genetic disorders, dietary deficiencies and excesses, hemodynamic disorders, trauma & emergencies.  

Radiographic & Digital Imaging Principles
Radiographic & digital imaging provides the student with the knowledge of factors that govern and influence the production of the radiographic image. It includes discussions on x-ray and scatter production, patient interactions, disease processes, radiation protection, the function of kVp, mAs, and distance as it applies to density, contrast, scatter radiation, and spatial resolution. Film/screen and digital radiography are compared and contrasted. Practical issues concerning automatic exposure control and grid usage are also explored.

Radiographic & Digital Imaging Practical                                                                                     
This course runs parallel with the Radiographic & Digital Imaging Principles course, providing the students with opportunities to practice and apply the theoretical principles associated with the production of quality images. Worksheets, image production and evaluation will be the primary learning activities to gain knowledge related to the exposure factors that influence the production of the radiographic image.

Medical Ethics and Law                                                                                     
This course is designed to be an introduction to ethical thinking for students in the radiologic sciences.  We will focus on the integration of knowledge about patient care and the ethical/legal issues which can occur in the process of providing care.  Topics include the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, justice, nonmaleficence, and paternalism, the Patient's Bill of Rights, resolving moral dilemmas, and the legal principles of malpractice, intentional torts, and negligence.  The course will be a combination of short presentations, web-based “discussion board” posts and class discussion intended to promote self awareness and an understanding of the expectations of one's profession and the society at large.

Radiographic Physics and Imaging Equipment                                            
Characteristics of atomic structure, electricity, and x-ray machines; properties of x-rays and their interaction with matter; measurement of radiation exposure. Construction principles and theories of operation of specialized imaging equipment, including fundamentals of acquisition for the following:  Imaging Intensification, Geometric Tomography, Mobile/Portable Radiography, and Magnification Principles.

Radiographic Procedures IV                                                           
This course is an extension of Radiographic Procedures I – III and includes information on advanced radiographic procedures and the contrast materials, specialized radiographic equipment and techniques used to when performing them.

Radiographic Quality Management & Quality Control             
Total quality management of a radiology department within the health care system is discussed and quality control tests are explored and performed.

Radiobiology & Radiation Safety                                                                                    
Coverage will include the basic concepts of ionizing radiation, radiation physics and chemistry (direct and indirect action of radiation) and the biological effects of ionizing radiation. The Radiation Protection section of this course is designed to provide the student with: a) instruction in the safe use of medical radiation producing devices and the handling of radioactive materials, b) information regarding certain formulae and techniques useful in radiation protection programs and c) familiarization with the regulatory agencies, regulations and regulatory guidelines pertinent to their respective fields. Emphasis is placed on the applied aspects of radiation protection.
The radiobiology section of this course will introduce the basic concepts of Radiation Biology. There will be a review of basic cell biology (basic components of the cell and various cell structures) and an introduction of the cell cycle in order to gain a better understanding of what radiation does to an individual cell. Topics include cellular response to radiation, tissue radiation biology, radiation pathology, total body radiation response and the late effects of radiation on biological systems.

Professional Development
This course will provide information on preparing resumes, interviewing, career planning, salary negotiation, continuing education post-RT program, and benefits through guest speakers. A process for systematically preparing for the ARRT certification examination will also be addressed.

RT Clinical Internship I
RT Clinical Internship II
RT Clinical Internship III 
RT Clinical Internship IV
Students will rotate through the different areas of the UI Hospitals & Clinics. During rotations, the student will assist with routine images in the assigned area, as well as practice and test out on x-ray examinations learned in the didactic setting, increasing from the less complex chest, abdomen, upper extremity, and shoulder in the I and II clinical internship courses to gastrointestinal, lower extremity, spine, thorax, and skull exams in the III and IV clinical internship courses. Throughout the clinical internship the student builds skills for the care and management of patients. Performance assessments are conducted and guideline objectives are completed for each rotation. Performance expectations progressively become higher as student gains experience and skills. Observation rotations in radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, angiography, diagnostic medical sonography, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging are completed to introduce the student to all fields related to Radiology.