Took my wife to this clinic on a Sunday (no regular offices were open) due to some breathing difficulties. When we got in to see the doctor, he recommended that she have a chest x-ray performed so he could get a better look at her lungs. So far so good.
We informed him that she had just had an in-vitro fertilization operation only a few days prior and, therefore, there was a high probability that she was pregnant. This made us somewhat uncomfortable since x-rays function through use of radiation exposure. He assured us that appropriate precautions would be taken and that lead shielding would be used where appropriate. I work in the nuclear industry and have quite a bit of experience in radiation health physics, so I felt comfortable with this answer. Still no issues to this point.
When my wife returned from the x-ray, she told me about what shielding the x-ray technician had used and where they had placed it. The radiation source was positioned behind her with the x-ray impression to the front of her. This meant that the radiation would pass through her from back to front. The technician had placed the shielding over her stomach (on her front side). This meant that the only thing being shielded from the radiation was the x-ray impression, not my wife! The technician should have placed the shielding on her back side. The fact that this happened tells me that the x-ray technician had no idea what she was doing or the potential risks associated with the hazards she encountered by the nature of her job. This was completely unacceptable to me, and we told the doctor about it when he came back. He said that he would ""address the issue"" with the technician.
I know that this behavior would certainly not pass for acceptable in the industry in which I work, and I am dissapointed that this seemed to be status quo for this facility. If I knew how to raise this issue higher so that it would get the attention it deserved, I certainly would. I hope that the reader of this review finds this helpful when looking for a health care staff that they are willing to trust with their care.
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