As a radiologist, it's no doubt that you spend a rather significant amount of time at a desk, behind a computer. The physical toll it takes on your body has to have crossed your mind. Not only do you risk becoming ill from germs on your keyboard and work surfaces, but you can also injure yourself. One of the most common preventable injuries amongst someone who spends a significant amount of time at a desk is related to the placement of the keyboard. Keyboard orientation is important to reduce muscular skeletal injuries. Whether sitting or standing, maintaining neutral alignment of the wrist along with an approximate 90 degree forearm-to-upper-arm relationship will significantly reduce the opportunity of injury.

Your top 3 price questions, answered

Most radiologists know the advantages of doing their work at a high-quality, height-adjustable workstation. The best radiology furniture not only delivers optimum comfort for doctors during long hours; it supports an ideal workflow and enables greater collaboration among the team.

So, what does a new radiology desk cost? We’ll cut straight to the chase here, followed by key considerations to help you maximize the furniture investment you make for the long term. 

How often have you thought “I’d really like to update my dispatch center” but in the same train of thought said, “My center is just way too small and way too weird”! We hear this constantly, things like “We’re peanuts compared to such-and-such county" or "we only have 2 stations and 150 square feet". The thought is, if your center is small, there is nothing you can do to improve your situation. Well, I'm here to tell you, You Can!

What intrigued you to read this blog? Maybe three words stood out to you: “communications center” and “K-9.” We all know that a dog is man’s best friend, and we all understand that animals are a part of our everyday lives. Who doesn't like to walk through the front door after a long day at work and have your best friend there to greet you? Animals provide us with unconditional love and happiness. They also allow you to forget about any problems or stress you might be experiencing in your life. So why not bring a K-9 to work with you?

Working as a 911 dispatch supervisor, I understand the stress we all deal with on a minute-by-minute basis. I also understand your department or organization might not be on board with a K-9 in your center. However, what about the K-9 you currently have working in your own organization? When our K-9’s visit, it's amazing to see how our 911 dispatchers relax and interact with them. Any stress they might have experienced during their current shift is all forgotten during that 10-minute visit. Some dispatchers enjoy the visits so much, they bring in dog treats and store them in their personnel pedestals.

Why would radiologists want their work surfaces to be antimicrobial? Radiologists, or anyone for that matter, would not like these “pests” living on their workstations:

Did you know that on unprotected surfaces, bacteria can double in number every 20 minutes? Ewwww!

Xybix offers an antimicrobial worksurface, in which the laminate work surface is infused with silver ions, which form an antimicrobial surface that curtails the growth of harmful bacteria. Silver ion technology has been proven to inhibit the growth of bacteria by 99.9%. Manufacturing our workstation surfaces with a silver ion composition provides radiologists with a healthier environment. 

We all have had to call customer service. Personally, I usually dread the phone call due to all of the call tree options — press one for this... press two for that... I understand that it helps to speed up the process and send you to the right person, but I still find it annoying and cumbersome. Can’t a real person answer the phone? Then you wait on hold for however long it is. It always seems longer, but perception is reality. 

As I am writing this blog, the Northeast is facing yet another blizzard warning. Yep, you read that right... ANOTHER!  I, like many of you in the North, choose to live in an area with four seasons. I love the snow… but after 78 inches of the fluffy stuff in the past 3 weeks, it is safe to say I am wishing for a warmer climate.

With “love” in the air this Valentine’s Day, we thought we could share some ways you can show the “love” to your local 911 dispatchers. Often times, 911 dispatchers are only means of response to a scary and/or life or death situation. A dispatcher’s job means responding promptly and professionally to any emergency throughout the year. (Yes, this includes giving up weekends, holidays and birthdays to work a very demanding and stressful job). Still not convinced of the need to say thanks? Try reading the poem “Dispatcher” by Alan Burton.

The IT team and contractors should always be considered part of the mission-critical team in the 911 center.

The 911 comm center, security monitoring rooms, and command and control rooms are all mission-critical rooms. Cable management within these rooms can affect the people that are counting on 911 centers in a time of critical need. It’s crucial to prevent the CAD screen from dropping or the phone line from going dead because callers could be in a life or death struggle or they’re getting help for someone else.