Lecture Notes - Medical Imaging & Professional Practice: Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering stress and anxiety concepts, goal setting and study skills, sonography fundamentals, imaging modalities, professional ethics, and critical thinking in sonography.

Stress

The body's typical reaction to challenging situations perceived as demands on time, energy, or resources.

Stressor

A perceived challenge that increases anxiety.

Anxiety

A general state of worry and fear before confronting a difficult situation.

Fight-or-Flight Response

Physiologic reaction to real or imagined threats, activating the body's stress response.

Adrenal Glands

Glands that release stress hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) during a threat.

Epinephrine (Adrenaline)

A adrenal hormone that increases heart rate, respiration, and energy during stress.

Norepinephrine

A hormone that accompanies epinephrine, contributing to cardiovascular and alertness responses.

Cognitive Component of Anxiety

How one interprets and thinks about their circumstances.

Physical Component of Anxiety

Physical manifestations such as rapid breathing and sweating.

Behavioral Component of Anxiety

Actions taken in response to anxiety, which can be constructive or destructive.

Mindfulness

A practice used to focus attention and achieve relaxation and present-centered awareness.

Sitting Meditation

Meditation focusing on breathing, thoughts, and emotions.

Informal Meditation

Mindfulness applied to daily activities and tasks.

Simple Moving Exercises

Basic physical exercises used as part of mindfulness practices.

Median Salary in Outpatient Care (2017)

Approximately $81,200 per year for outpatient care roles.

Educators (Outpatient) Salary

Average around $78,000 per year in outpatient settings.

Time Management: Planning and Priorities

Allow time to plan and establish priorities before acting.

Complete Highest Priority Task First

Finish the top-priority task before starting others.

Reprioritize Based on Remaining Tasks

Adjust tasks as new information becomes available.

Short-Term Goals

Goals achievable within 1–5 years.

Long-Term Goals

Goals achievable in more than 5 years.

Personal Goals

Subjectively meaningful aspirations pursued in life.

5 Basic Steps of Goal Setting (Step 1)

Make a list of priorities and rank them.

5 Basic Steps of Goal Setting (Step 2)

Set measurable and realistic long-term goals.

5 Basic Steps of Goal Setting (Step 3)

Set short-term goals for classroom and clinical work.

5 Basic Steps of Goal Setting (Step 4)

Make social and personal goals.

5 Basic Steps of Goal Setting (Step 5)

Strive to meet those goals; write them down and mark off as completed.

Goal-Setting Statistic (42%)

People who write their goals down are 42% more likely to accomplish them.

Test Preparation Tips

Strategies like reading for comprehension, taking good notes, mnemonics, study groups, schedules, and breaks.

Test Anxiety Effect

Anxiety can reduce test scores (example: 12% decrease reported in some contexts).

Test-Taking Skills: Time Management

Examine test length, estimate time, answer in order, and manage pacing.

Keywords in Questions

Identify essential terms to guide answering a question.

Elimination Strategy

Rule out obviously incorrect answers to improve odds.

Hesitation Strategy

Hesitate before changing an answer, especially on exams.

Essay Question Planning

Outline thoughts quickly before answering an essay question.

Self-Efficacy

Belief in one’s own ability to succeed and meet goals.

Brain Dump

A last-resort attempt to transfer knowledge to paper; discouraged in ARDMS guidelines.

ARDMS

American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography; organization that governs exam practices.

Sonography

To draw with sound; the use of ultrasound to image the body.

Audible Sound Range

Frequency range audible to humans: approximately 2 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

Infrasound

Sound frequencies below 2 Hz.

Ultrasound

Frequencies above 20,000 Hz used for medical imaging.

Typical Sonography Frequency Range

Higher-frequency ultrasound commonly between 2 MHz and 15 MHz.

Pulse-Echo Technique

Imaging method where a transmitted pulse returns to the transducer after reflecting from tissues.

Real-Time Imaging

Ultrasound imaging that provides live visualization of moving structures.

Pre-Exam Data Collection

Obtain clinical history and findings used to guide the examination.

Sonographer Report

Document with measurements and findings; does not provide a diagnosis, but supports it.

Hippocratic Oath (Key Concepts)

Place patients’ interests first; protect from harm; treat all patients equally; respect rights; protect confidentiality.

Clinical Orientation Tasks

Tasks to orient to a department (maps, crash carts, MSDS, equipment, codes, protocols).

ICD-10

Diagnostic coding system used to classify diseases.

Radiology: Oldest Imaging Modality

Radiology is the earliest diagnostic imaging field. X-rays discovered by Wilhelm Röntgen on 11/8/1895.

X-Ray Fundamentals

Ionizing radiation used to image chest, GI, GU; various studies with exposure; images stored in PACS.

PACs

Picture Archiving and Communication System used to store medical images.

CT (Computed Tomography)

Imaging modality used in trauma and procedures; may involve contrast.

Nuclear Medicine

Uses radiopharmaceuticals for diagnosis and treatment; gamma camera detects emissions.

Radiopharmaceutical

Radioactive material used in nuclear medicine to target specific organs or systems.

Gamma Camera

Detects radiation from radiopharmaceuticals to create images.

Hot Spot

Area of increased radiotracer uptake indicating pathology in nuclear medicine.

Scintigraphy

2D nuclear medicine imaging of organs.

Hepatobiliary Iminodiacetic Acid (HIDA)

Nuclear medicine test evaluating liver and biliary system function.

Technetium Sestamibi (Cardiolite)

Radiopharmaceutical used to assess myocardial perfusion and blood flow.

Nuclear Stress Test

Stress test using radiopharmaceuticals; exercise or pharmacologic stress.

PET

Positron Emission Tomography; combines radionuclide imaging with CT for metabolic and anatomic detail.

SPECT

Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography; 3D nuclear medicine imaging.

Screening Mammography Guidelines

Annual mammograms starting around ages 40–44; diagnostic mammography if warranted.

Mammography Projections

Two projections: cranio-caudal (CC) and mediolateral oblique (MLO).

MRI Contrast (Gadolinium)

Contrast agent used in MRI to enhance tissue contrast.

MRA

Magnetic Resonance Angiography—MRI technique to visualize vascular structures.

Heart Catheterization

Invasive procedure imaging coronary vessels using x-ray dye; access via arm or leg.

Interventional Radiology (IR)

Radiology subspecialty performing procedures like stent placement under sterile conditions.

Sonographic Reasoning

Integrating clinical history, sonographic findings, and literature to form conclusions.

Clinical Correlation

Process of matching history and findings with imaging results to support diagnosis.

Inductive Reasoning

Reasoning from specific data to general conclusions in imaging interpretation.

IMAGE Mnemonic

Investigative history; Make hypotheses; Analyze with sonography; Gather findings; Evaluate connections.

Must-Know Information Before Presenting Case

Demographics; Clinical History; Sonographic Findings to prepare case presentation.

SDMS Principles

Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography values: competence, honesty, and public trust.

Compassion, Empathy, Altruism

Three core elements of compassionate patient care; altrusim as the ultimate goal.

Compassion Fatigue

Burnout from chronic exposure to others' trauma, leading to reduced caregiving capacity.