Rad tech student; 1st clinical placement site at hospital where most exams are mobile chest x-rays for COVID and I'm not (yet) allowed to enter COVID unit ... How can I not just stand around all day?

I would love any tips or suggestions on how I can most professionally handle this clinical situation. It is my first placement as a rad tech student and I am eager to impress at this hospital and let them know that I'm a hard worker and eager for any opportunity to learn.

Here's the basic situation: 2 weeks in. Elective procedures have been canceled right now due to COVID numbers. I have gotten to observe one surgery and also got to (help) operate the C-arm (with a LOT of guidance) on a knee surgery last week, which was very cool and very exciting. O.R. opportunities have been few and far between.

There was confusion with my school and the hospital, so first we were told students couldn't work with COVID patients; then the school said we were allowed to do these cases, so for one day I got to go along on and assist on several mobile chest x-rays, which is basically all our department is doing for the bulk of the day. Yesterday we got an email from the hospital stating that students can no longer assist on COVID cases until we complete an additional PPE training, which is "in the works."

If I can't do the mobile chest exams for the COVID patients in the hospital, I end up with literally nothing to do for 4 or 5 hours (estimating, it seems that way) of my 8-hour shift. I'm someone who works hard and likes to be busy, and I've even asked if I can help out with something else around the office, but was told that I'm not there to do office tasks.

I really don't like standing around and staring at the clock. I know that they understand there are hardly any exams I can go on because of the COVID situation, but I just feel it doesn't look good for me to be standing around twiddling my thumbs. I try to think of questions to ask people about their work and the images they're viewing on their computer workstations even if I can't go along on exams, but it's getting redundant and I'm feeling like I could become annoying if I keep asking questions ... I don't know if this seems intrusive or irritating or like I'm overdoing it?

How would you handle yourself in this working situation? Obviously I'm staying positive and not complaining about the situation, and just keep emphasizing that I want to help out anywhere that I can ... but is there anything else I can do to try to learn more while the situation stays as is? I don't know what else I can ask or offer to do, or how to not just be standing around waiting for there to be an exam I can assist on ... I haven't even done an exam fully on my own yet, because I haven't had enough chances to assist. So I'm also worried about the situation with comps going into my third week.

Any thoughts on how you'd handle this, or even what would impress you in a student tech when there aren't exams for them to do, would really be appreciated.

submitted by /u/letsbereal1980
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source https://www.reddit.com/r/Radiology/comments/sa90eu/rad_tech_student_1st_clinical_placement_site_at/