Innovative Imaging: New Radiology Lab Equipped with Latest Technology

Fewer people using the lab at once during the COVID pandemic allowed students to spend more time with equipment and better understand how it worked. This sparked an idea to expand, and the radiography department asked the University for funding for another lab. Now, students studying to be X-ray technologists have more room to practice their skills, using hospital-grade equipment provided by Radiology Services Inc. 

“This is equipment that's out in the hospitals, and they're going to put their hands on it in the lab and practice in a very safe environment where they can learn and make mistakes without any cost to patient exposure. Then when they get in the clinic, they're ready to go,” Farah said. 

Like the old lab, the new one is fully digital, enabling images to appear in high quality and faster than film provides.   The lab also features an option to turn off the radiation and allow students to use the equipment without producing X-rays during open lab sessions.  

Ryan Piccinin, Clinical Coordinator of the Radiography Department, said students enjoy having more time to practice with the addition of the new room. Now, students spend equal amounts of time with the equipment, rotating through each machine. 

“Often when they go out to clinical, they're going to use multiple pieces of equipment, and there are a lot of different little nuances with each one. This gives them a great little taste of variety,” Piccinin said.