RA Procedures III

Course Overview:

This course prepares the radiologist assistant for clinical medical imaging of the musculoskeletal system.  Students complete reading and writing assignments, take online quizzes, participate in classroom and online discussions, do research, and make presentations.  Students also participate in rigorous in-class image reviews to demonstrate their understanding of the course content. 

Course Objectives:    Upon completion of this course, a student will be able to:

• Describe the basic concepts of reviewing radiographic images of the musculoskeletal system.
• Identify indications for appropriate musculoskeletal imaging procedures.
• Radiographically identify common musculoskeletal pathologies.

Textbooks:  ( * = new books this semester)

REQUIRED 

Brant, W.E. & Helms, C.A. (2006) Fundamentals of diagnostic radiology (3^nd ed.). Philadelphia:

     Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.   [ISBN-13: 9780781761352] 

Daffner, R.H.  (2007).  Clinical radiology: The essentials (3^rd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott

      Williams & Wilkins.     [ISBN-13: 9780781799683] 

*Manaster, B.J., May, D.A., & Disler, D.G.  (2007)  Musculoskeletal imaging:  The requisites (3^rd

     ed.).  Philadelphia: Mosby Elsevier.     [ISBN  0323043615]

RECOMMENDED 

Ahuja, A.T., Antonio, G.E., Wong, K.T., & Yuen, H.Y. (2006).  Case studies in medical Imaging: 

     Radiology for students and trainees.  New York: Cambridge University Press. 

     [ISBN-13: 9780521682947] 

Novelline, R.A. (2004). Squire’s fundamentals of radiology (6^th ed.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard   

     University  Press    [ISBN  0-674-83339-2] 

Pope, T.L. (2009). Aunt Minnie’s atlas and imaging-specific diagnosis (3^rd ed.)  Philadelphia  

     Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.     [ISBN   9780781787819]

Methodology / Teaching Strategies:

Independent reading assignments, written assignments, Internet searches, online quizzes, classroom discussion, online discussions, and presentations are used in this course.
 

Communication with Instructor:

Contact information for the instructor is listed at the beginning of this syllabus.  Email is the preferred mode of communication.  It is critical that students report all email changes immediately to the instructor.  The instructor will respond or at least acknowledge email messages from students within a maximum of five (5) business days when MSU is in session.  Beyond standard university holidays and breaks, the instructor will notify students of any extended periods of time when email contact is not practical (professional meetings, etc) 

Grading / Evaluation:

Class Participation                                            10%

Blackboard Open Book Module Quizzes             20%

Presentation                                                      20%

In-Class Image Review                                       30%

Comprehensive Closed Book Final Exam           20%     

A = 90 = 100

B = 80 – 89

C = 70 – 79

D = 60 – 69

F = Below 60

The last opportunity to drop this course with a grade of “W” is 4:00pm March 21, 2011.  Refer to the Undergraduate Bulletin for details about receiving a grade of “Incomplete” in a course.  In an emergency or extenuating circumstance, a student may request a grade of “Incomplete” in a course before grades are submitted.  If the instructor grants the “Incomplete,” the student has until thirty (30) days after the beginning of the next long semester to complete the course requirements.  If the student does not complete the course requirements within the deadline, the grade of “Incomplete” will automatically convert into a grade of “F.”

Administrative Process:

Unresolved issues related to this course should be first addressed between the student and the course instructor.  If there is no resolution, students must follow this sequence: 

Department Chair –Dr Donna Wright (940-397-4615)

College Dean – Dr. Susan Sportsman (940-397-4594)

Dean of Students – Dail Neely (940-397-6273)

CLASS ACTIVITIES AND ASSIGNMENTS

Students can proceed through the course content at their own pace within the boundaries set by the Course Schedule and the MSU Academic Calendar.  Quizzes may not be posted until the due dates.  See the Course Schedule for specific information about activities and due dates.

Participation – 10%

Students must participate in class activities, projects, and discussions.  Students complete most course requirements by working independently from the instructor and classmates.  Evidence of class participation includes:  responding to emails, taking quizzes and the final exam on or before the scheduled deadlines, participating in online discussions, and submitting the assignments in a timely manner.  Students should participate in the online discussions at least once every other week throughout the semester.  Discussion topics can be posted by students or by the instructor. 

Blackboard Open Book Module Quizzes - 20%

Module 1:  Introduction & Arthropathies

Module 2:  Trauma

Module 3:  Neoplasms

Module 4:  Metabolic, Endocrine, Infections, Miscellaneous

Each module has a quiz.  Students should complete the reading assignments before attempting the open book module quizzes.  See the separate Reading Assignments link on Blackboard.  See the Course Schedule at the end of this syllabus for specific information about module quiz due dates. 

When a student has reviewed a module and is ready for the quiz, he or she will log on to Blackboard and receive a customized timed module quiz consisting of randomized multiple choice questions.  Students may take quizzes ahead of schedule but MUST complete them by the scheduled deadlines on the Course Schedule at the end of this syllabus. 

The information covered during seminar days will be included on the module quizzes.

It is important to know the module content before attempting the module quizzes because they are timed.  Students who do not complete module quizzes before the deadlines listed on the Course Schedule at the end of this syllabus will have points deducted from their Class Participation grade.  Quiz scores will be available through Blackboard after they have been graded.

If students have technical difficulties during a quiz, they should use the “Help” link at the top toolbar in Blackboard, contact the MSU Information Systems Support Staff, and send an email to the course instructor explaining what happened.

If a student finds a faulty quiz test item or believes that a quiz question has been scored incorrectly, he or she should send an email to the course instructor (donna.wright@mwsu.edu) that includes the following:

• Module Quiz Number (I –IV)
• Question Stem
• Answer Scored as Correct by the Computer
• Answer the Student Thinks Should be Correct
• Rationale Supporting Why the Student’s Answer is Correct
• Page numbers must be included when referencing the textbook in a rationale

For example, a student can not send the message “I think question number ten is wrong on quiz four” because each student gets a quiz of randomly generated test items.  The instructor has to know the question stem to find the question in the database. 

After reviewing the case, if the course instructor thinks a revision is justified, the student’s quiz score will be revised to reflect the additional points and the test bank will be updated.  It may take several weeks for the student to receive a response because the instructor works on batches of questions for a particular quiz at a time.

Presentation – 20%

Students will teach their classmates about specific topics related to MSK imaging procedures during the second set of seminar classes.  Students should email the instructor to claim one of the following topics (first come – first serve).

Students are encouraged to use textbooks and captured images, and Internet or other external resources in their PowerPoint presentations.  Students should provide handouts for their classmates, including an APA format Reference List.  The sources of graphics used in the PowerPoint presentation should be cited on the slides.  Students will have one hour for presentations.  Students should NOT read their presentations to the group. Presentations should be INTERACTIVE to engage the interest of their classmates. 

Presentation Topics

• Describe bone structure, physiology, and common pathologies of pediatric patients:, OI, spec fx, SCFE, radiographic evidence of child abuse, etc.

• Describe bone structure, physiology, and common pathologies of geriatric patients: hip fractures and patterns (morbidity / mortality), kyphosis, radiographic evidence of elder abuse, etc.

• Identify types, function, method of insertion, longevity, etc. of various orthopedic hardware:  extremity and spinal, temporary & permanent, evidence of complications, etc.

• Identify various types of spine trauma (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral) on medical images, discuss the clinical significance of each along with treatment options.

In-Class Image Review – 30%

Students will participate in a “hot seat” for image observation during seminar classes.  Various faculty members will display randomly selected images and the students will describe what they observe on those images.  Radiographs will primarily focus on the MSK system, but may include chest, GI, and GU images as a review.

By this time in the RA curriculum, students MUST demonstrate competence during in-class image reviews.  Students who perform at lower than a grade level of B on the image review will have to repeat the image review.  Students who do not achieve a minimum of grade level B on the repeated review, will not successfully complete this course, and will not continue in the RA Program.

Comprehensive Closed Book Final Exam - 20%

The comprehensive proctored closed-book final exam will be administered using Blackboard between May 9 at 8:00 am and May 11 at 5:00 pm (Central Time).  This exam will be comprehensive for all courses completed so far in the RA curriculum. 

Each student must have a proctor and test site approved by the course instructor at least three working days before taking the exam.  Typically acceptable proctor sites and candidates include: 

• College or University Testing Centers
• http://www.ncta-testing.org/cctc/find.php
• Officials at military base education offices

The exam site must have reliable Internet connections and should have at least two Internet browsers available (Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer).  Sites with extensive firewalls and high security mechanisms may not work for testing.  Please test to be sure you can connect to Blackboard before committing to a proctor site.  High speed connections are more desirable than traditional phone line connections.  The site must support an independent phone line in addition to the computer connection so that calls can be made while the student is connected online.  The proctor must have moderate computer expertise including the ability and authorization to reboot the remote computer.  The student is responsible for any fees proctors charge for their services. 

Even if someone has served as a proctor in previous courses, he or she will not be accepted as a proctor for this course if he or she does not meet these criteria.  Proctor emails will only be sent to commercial or educational email addresses.  Proctor approval is at the discretion of the course instructor.

The proctor form is available in .pdf format from Blackboard.  The proctor forms for this course have been redesigned so please use the appropriate proctor forms.   Students should review the form and get the proctor information ahead of time.  Students should then open the Adobe PDF file and type the required information in the boxes on the forms.  Students should have the proctor sign and date forms and fax forms to MSU (940-397-4845).

Each student has two hours to complete the exam, and can set his/her exam appointment anytime between 9am and 9pm.  It is better to take the exam during normal working hours to be sure that MSU Technical Support will be available.  The course instructor will provide the examination password to the proctor by email. 

The instructor may be available by phone and email during the exam time in case there are technical difficulties with the electronic version of the exam.  If there are any problems during the exam, the proctor should call the course instructor (Toll Free 866-575-4305, Direct 940-397-4083, Cell 940-249-0100) If the instructor is not available, contact MSU Technical Support through MSU Blackboard, and send an email to the instructor explaining what happened.  The exam may have to be rescheduled.

Attendance:

This is a hybrid distance education course.  Because of the unique distance learning format for this program, students must be present and on-time for the on-campus seminar to receive a passing grade.  There are no exceptions to this policy.  Students who are tardy for class risk a grade reduction or dismissal from the class.

Because students and instructors in this program do not regularly interact in a traditional classroom setting, electronic communication is essential. Students must be vigilant in checking email and logging onto Blackboard to insure that messages from the instructor are received in a timely manner.