RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Effects on Technologist Occupational Exposure in PET/CT Departments When Working with Students at Various Levels of Supervision
JF Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
JO J. Nucl. Med. Technol.
FD Society of Nuclear Medicine
SP 214
OP 217
DO 10.2967/jnmt.119.241398
VO 48
IS 3
A1 Jacob Farkas
A1 Michael Martin
A1 Cybil Nielsen
A1 S. Gregory Jennings
YR 2020
UL http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/48/3/214.abstract
AB The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect that the presence of a student in the PET/CT department has on the technologist’s occupational radiation exposure and whether this effect is influenced by the type of supervision performed. Methods: This was a retrospective, institutional review board–approved study that collected data from 2 PET/CT departments. Dosimetry reports, correlated with the clinical schedules of the students, were normalized for workflow (amount of radioactivity), the number of technologists, and the number of monitored days in the department. A 2-sample t test assuming unequal variance with an α of 0.05 was used to compare doses between with-student and without-student groups and between direct-supervision and indirect-supervision groups. Results: The study consisted of a dataset of 42 dosimetry reports, 19 with students and 23 without students. When comparing with-student and without-student groups, the total (n = 42) extremity dose had a P value of 0.012 with a mean of 0.0011665 μSv/MBq/technologist/d; all other dose comparisons between groups were greater than 0.05 (P > 0.05). For indirect supervision (n = 21), the extremity-dose P value was 0.298. The other dose P values were all less than 0.05. For direct supervision (n = 21), the dose P values were all greater than 0.05. There was a trend toward decreasing exposure of technologists when students were in the department. Conclusion: Extremity dose decreases when students are present. There is a trend toward decreasing dose with indirect supervision.