This week in our Professional Profiles Section we introduce you to Lierni Iraola, Mirentxu Etxaniz, Oiana Extremé and Joanna Sánchez, our Specialist Technicians in MRI.
How long have you been working at Onkologikoa? And since when in MRI?
Oihana and Lierni: 16 years at the hospital, then Mirentxu started working here 12 years ago, and our last colleague, Joanna, 2 years ago.
What does your everyday work and routine involve?
Our work as Technicians consists of obtaining images of the human body using different diagnostic apparatus, in this case with Magnetic Resonance.
Our everyday work consists of receiving the patient, helping them to complete a safety questionnaire, explaining what is involved in the examination and proceeding with it, adapting the technical aspect to the human and diverse aspects, to people, who are the most important aspect of our work.
One of the particularities of working with MRI is handling patients with claustrophobia. How do you deal with these situations?
The first thing is to talk to the patient, giving them the necessary explanations to make those who are afraid feel reassured. During the examination, we communicate with them constantly. They can bring someone with them and we can take short breaks and agree with the radiology doctor to use the shortest possible examination time, simply doing what is strictly necessary to obtain a good diagnosis.
How do you think your field will evolve? What new features will the MRI of the future bring?
Undoubtedly the subject of medical imaging and specifically Resonance is continually changing and evolving. The examinations are increasingly shorter and give us greater information. Resonance is an incredible and complicated technique and it is impossible to know how far it will go and if it will have limits.
What do both of you like best about working with MRI?
What we like best is the contact with the patient. Being able to give the best of yourself as a person to accompany the patient and make their experience of an examination as special as resonance as pleasant as possible, with the added challenge of using such an exciting apparatus to obtain the best possible image for correct diagnosis.
