ISRRT_COVID-19_book

was an intimidating process. This is because the chest x-ray acquisition is almost immediate
and much quicker than other clinical tests for COVID-19 such as a swab lateral flow test/PCR
test. Interpreting and communicating these findings places a lot of responsibility on a
radiographer especially one who is newly qualified and may still need time to develop their
pattern recognition skills. Gaining a thorough understanding of these appearances resulted
in the patient being transported safely to a designated area, the room would then be cleaned
thoroughly, which effectively increased patient care for both the patient that was imaged and
other patients that would come into the room. Developing this type of pattern recognition so
rapidly for a newly qualified radiographer was extremely beneficial as it determined a key
aspect of the patient care pathway. For example, if a non-suspected COVID-19 patient came
for a chest x-ray and yet their x-ray appearance was consistent with COVID-19, their entire
pathway changed with others around them kept safe; communication with other
radiographers in this instance would mean immediate cleaning can be taken place in the room
and in areas where the patient had been waiting.
Evidently, the role of the radiographer has developed a lot of extra responsibilities due to the
ever-changing nature of the COVID-19. Hence, with the additional responsibilities accrues
additional stress, which can be effectively managed with coping mechanisms. For example,
adapting perspective of the stress in a more positive way by engaging with the rest of team
in a supportive workplace enables the human body to produce hormones to trigger eustress,
thus creating a drive for people to help.
An effective team member is someone who can work to a flexible degree covering shifts when
required, due to the incidental additional staff sickness, or proactively seeking out areas
where they can offer their skills and attributes. A newly qualified radiographer who can
recognise their own strengths and limitations and asks for help when required can benefit the
entire team as this demonstration of professionalism can take some stress off the other team
members so they can focus on areas where the newly qualified radiographer may need extra
support.
Enabling oneself to work to a flexible degree particularly when the provision of service has
been redesigned to meet the needs of different patients (in this instance COVID-19 and non-
COVID-19 patients) greatly benefits the impact COVID-19 has caused on service delivery, in
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