Real-Life Communication -- Solution
To Josh: It's OK, Josh. This will not hurt very much at all. I do
not poke a needle in your bone. It will be a little prick in your arm. It
will feel the same as the needles that the nurses have given you before.
After that, I am going to use a big, shiny machine to take a special picture
of you. It's like a great, big camera. It won't hurt at all. You can lie
down nice and still for half an hour. Maybe you can pretend you are in a rocket
ship with all kinds of fancy equipment to look at. You can ask me any questions
you want."
To Josh's mom: I am going to inject a radioactive drug into
Josh's vein. I am wearing this safety gear because I handle radioactive materials
all day long. The amount of radiation could build up in my body and become
dangerous.
The dosage that I am giving to Josh is not very high. It
is about the same as he would get from a regular x-ray.
Your doctor
has ordered this test because he thinks the benefits outweigh the risks.
After I've given Josh the drug, I will use a scanner to create a diagnostic
image. This digital image shows the radiation's distribution in Josh?s tissues and
organs. It gives your doctor information to help him reach a diagnosis. He
will discuss the results with you. The scanning part of the procedure takes
about 20 minutes. Jeff will need to lie still. He might get bored, but there
will not be any pain. Do you have any questions before we begin?
"Communication skills are very important," says said Lisa Betts. She is the
clinical coordinator for the nuclear medicine technology program. "If you
can't communicate effectively, it could be a roadblock."