25 Clinical Supervision Policy
- Student radiographers are directly responsible to the RISP director. However, when on clinical assignment, they will respect the advice and direction and obtain information concerning their duties from the RISP clinical faculty (CP), the supervising staff radiographer, or the radiologist of the assigned clinical area.
- Except for an observation rotation, all clinical affiliates must maintain a student-to-technologist ratio 1:1.
- Students enrolled in the radiography program are required to be supervised by an ARRT-registered, Indiana-licensed radiographer (state licensure is not required at the VA since it is a federal facility). Radiography students require direct supervision (defined below) by a qualified radiographer during the performance of radiographic procedures until the criteria for progressing to indirect supervision (defined below) have been met.
- Whether a student is being directly or indirectly supervised, the student’s technologist must review the procedure request and assess each patient before the procedure, with the assistance of the supervising radiographer. This ensures that the student is able to perform that procedure on a particular patient. In addition, the student must evaluate all images with the assistance of the supervising radiographer.
- First-Year Radiography Students – Radiography students enrolled in the R151 & R171 courses always require direct supervision. Students document the clinical performance of procedures by entering them in the Case Logs section of Evalue daily. Students in these courses demonstrate progress in performing a particular procedure when they have completed two (2) clinical competency exams (if the opportunity presents itself). The requirement for the performance of multiple procedures is to assure that procedures/protocols for the hospitals are being followed and to verify the retention of competency. Completing competency exams in the first year does not allow students to work with indirect supervision.
- Second Year Radiography Students – Students enrolled in R271, 272, and 270 may work with indirect supervision if they meet specific criteria. Students must demonstrate progress to perform a particular procedure with indirect supervision when they have completed two (2) clinical competency exams per procedure and have supervising radiographer approval to perform the procedure with indirect supervision. The requirement for the performance of multiple procedures is to assure that procedures/protocol for the hospitals is being followed and to verify the retention of competency.
- No student may perform a procedure with indirect supervision without completing the required number of competency exams in a particular course.
- No student may perform a repeat image without direct supervision from a supervising technologist.
- All surgery/c-arm and mobile/portable procedures must be performed with Direct Supervision at all times.