Saying Goodbye to Repat

What was that whizzing by? Was that…it was!... October!! I honestly can’t believe it! It seems like I was just whining about PM shifts and had just gotten to Repat, and then all of a sudden we are saying our goodbyes! It was a fantastic 4 weeks where we got to work with some really lovely people. An oddball here and there, but I can’t complain about any of them!

It was definitely a learning curve, as we got to do exams that Flinders doesn’t do on a regular basis – some oblique spines, some chiropractic spines, lots of recovery knees (which means they get done using the portable machine!) lots and lots of shoulders with views we hadn’t seen before going to Repat. We also got to work with different machines, like the fully automated Siemens System – impressive, but definitely not my favorite! As a student, I want to practice using my markers and angling to tube when I need to. With the fully automated system, the darn thing does it all! It did my head in being told to take my markers OFF after the drilling we’ve gotten for the past couple years!!

Since Repat also handles ALL the urology cases in the area, we also got a chance to see lots of RGP’s (Retrograde Pyelograms – where they look at the kidneys, ureters, and bladder with a scope and dye) cystograms (looking at the bladder, especially bladder tumors and bladder cancer) and laparoscopic studies. I even got to see a fascinating orthopedic case dealing with a non-union fracture, where they plated the bone, and put crunched up bone pieces into the fracture site to promote healing.

By the time the end of the month approached, they had grown to like us a little bit. They even invited us back to their big BBQ event on Monday. We took a half-day to mosey on back and munch on some goodies – since one of the sonographers is also a chef, how could we refuse? We liked them so much, that we even asked to come back in the Spring… or Fall, however you look at it. And seeing how fast October has whizzed by, it won’t be long!!