>        So, finally, I would like to know how many of your facilities provide
>24 hour call, and if there is any oversight process to avoid abuse of call (ie;
>a venous reflux study at 2am).
>        Thanks,
>        Bill Johnson

At our hospital we have one vascular tech (mua) and one echo tech. The
hospital requires that we provide 24 echo & vascular call. Therefor, we had
no option but to cross train. Fortunately the echo tech had some vascular
training and I had some echo experience. Needless to say, my echoes  are
not as good as the echo tech's and vice versa. For our efforts we receive
$1.75/hour and a minimum of 2 hours per call at time and a half. There is
no doubt in my mind that the service is abused at our hospital but our lab
director doesn't want to rock the boat. Were I used to work if a physician
asked for a test during after hours, he would have to call the interpreting
physician. The interpreting physician would then decide if the tech needed
to be called in. If it did, he would call the tech and brief the tech on
the case. At times, the interpreting physician would coordinate a time to
meet at the hospital to do and interpret the case. In my opinion that would
be the ideal set-up.

The thing to worry about call is burn out. At my institution we are at that
point. That is why we just hired a new tech that will start 9/5. There is
nothing more frustrating to a tech than abuse of the service. For example,
you get a call , go in to do the exam, put the case together, but the study
is not read until Monday.

Good luck Bill,


 Gerardo R. Rodriguez      "And the worms ate into his brain"

 AKA Jerry
 Palm Harbor, FL               email:  [log in to unmask]