Radiology clinic helps Airmen catch breaks

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Courtney Witt
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  Team Andersen's radiology unit may be small, but it is mighty. 

The unit serves around 15 patients per day conducting routine radiographs including chest and all extremity X-rays.
 
The three radiology techs working within the unit send the graphs digitally down to Navy Hospital for analysis. The results then given to the patient's primary care manager or doctor.
 
"We are a small clinic here," said Staff Sgt. Aisha Toston, 36th Medical Group noncommissioned officer in charge of radiology. "If we were in a larger Air Force hospital, we would support surgeries by using equipment such as the computerized radiology machine and a fluoroscopic X-ray where doctors can see different aspects of the body live."
 
Sergeant Toston adds that pursuing a job in radiology is a good career move especially in the civilian sector.
 
She said Airmen within the radiology community can move between modalities such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear medicine which helps keep Airmen from becoming stagnant within their career field.
 
To become a radiology technologist within the Air Force, Airmen must complete two phases.
 
Phase one is located at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, where Airmen must complete the 14 week basic course where Airmen learn about the anatomy of the human body.
Phase two consists of on-the-job training for nine and a half months at their first duty station where they receive hands-on training with real patients.

"I love that I have a vast opportunity to learn many different aspects of my job," said Staff Sgt. Faith Chargualaf, 36th Medical Group diagnostic imaging technologist. "You always have the opportunity to learn in radiology."

Sergeant Chargualaf has received invaluable experiences throughout her career especially while deployed.

"Balad, Iraq, was an eye opener for me," Sergeant Chargualaf said. "You see what you normally don't see within a clinic. It's the real stuff that you see on television. [It's] gruesome at times, but it teaches you to become a more knowledgeable tech and the experience is great."