Thoughts on PET / CT

In many ways this has been an excellent PBM choice. Each day up to 7 PET / CT examinations are done here on a range of conditions (mainly oncology but this is a proven strength of PET). The team here have worked hard to involve us in every aspect of PET imaging.
It is though challenging to fully involve students. There are some pretty significant obstacles to getting hands on experience. The potential radiation hazard to staff, especially those who are not fully trained and experienced, dwarfs most other applications of ionising radiations. Patient anxiety is probably the highest I've ever experienced. Not every patient is scared of the result of the scan but many are. This places huge demands on the staff and their communication.
On the other hand I've learned so much including:- understanding PET to an extent that I was nowhere near before, which has also given new insight into nuclear med, CT and radiation safety, improving knowledge of oncology and cross sectional anatomy and a big jump in medical terminology knowledge. It's also given insight into how clinical objectives are designed that will be useful in my future practice. Mmmm ....