For the first year student, radiographs can be a bit intimidating. What a lot of students seem to forget is that they’re not expected to read it like a radiologist or even a GP should. I believe the emphasis of studying x-ray plates in first year Anatomy class is to acquaint the learner with the structures they’ve been reading in their textbooks and atlases and seeing in their cadavers or models.
Here’s one way I think a first year student should start with x-rays:
- Know what region you’re looking at. X-rays aren’t taken of specific bones but certain regions of the body. We want a view of the hip joint, not necessarily just the proximal femur.
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Identify the bones you should find in a certain region. Knowing what other bones should be in a region sets your brain up to recognize the radio-opaque shapes that you see.
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Locate the landmarks and structures associated with the bones present. Now is the time to identify those regions, surfaces, protrusions, and other identifying features of the bones. Also identify articulations and possibly soft tissue structures that should be associated with the region and the bones within.
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Identify the view. If you know your anatomic position, you should easily identify AP and lateral views. Oblique views can be tricky, but your familiarity with the region will help. If other structures will significantly obscure some bones or important structures, you know an oblique view or other special view can and will be used.
Many students think they should be able to locate and identify fractures. That comes with the experience and learning from viewing and studying a lot of normal plates. Only then will identifying fractures or other skeletal abnormalities come easier to the learner. Don’t neglect your normal-appearing structures! Start reviewing your textbook or reference images. This will train your brain to recognize abnormal features outside of the regular, normal pattern
Irregular Dosing 