Waltham
Located at 40 Second Avenue, Waltham, MA 02451 (when you enter the garage, it is the building on your left). The radiology reading room is on the "first floor" (one floor above the ground floor), room 139. The MRI and CT suites are in suite 140.
You need badge access to get in the door. Please email Bev Pizzi btpizzi@partners.org or Annette LaPointe alapointe@partners.org with your name and employee ID number to get badge access before your first day.
The day in Waltham begins early because of contrast coverage. The Department policies for contrast coverage are:
1. Be there at 6:30AM regardless of whether contrast cases are schedule. You get paid for this coverage.
2. Sign in at the front desk when you arrive. YOU MUST SIGN IN. This is how the techs know you are here. If you can also walk around and check in with all the techs to let them know you're here, that's great. For now, that's not required. But if we miss sign in just once, a walk-around to all the scanners will be REQUIRED.
3. A moonlighter begins coverage at 5pm - if they are late you should wait until they arrive - otherwise that puts a halt on all imaging at MGH West. It is rare a moonlighter is substantially late - but if this happens you need to inform Annette Lapointe (the manager in Waltham) so that you can be appropriately compensated.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Diagnostic studies: Waltham fellow and staff read the opposite of the MGH reading room (plain films in the AM, MR/CT in the PM), but the same principle applies – if you are caught up, then jump in and help out with the other queue. The Waltham crew also covers ultrasounds done in Waltham and in Chelsea. Ask Annette Lapointe (the manager in Waltham) to show you how to use the program that allows a live feed from the Chelsea ultrasound machines.
2. Responding to contrast reactions: The CT/MRI techs will call the Waltham reading room whenever there is a concern for a contrast reaction. You can find all the information you will need on Reshub (https://radhub.massgeneral.org/reshub/handbook/iodinated-contrast/). There you can also find the link to the Contrast Reporting Tool and what to do for different scenarios (e.g. extravasation).
In summary, always go check in person. By the moment you get there, the nurse is usually done with vital signs and initial evaluation. For mild reactions you can choose to observe the patient until symptoms subside, then orient them to tell their doctors to pre medicate for future studies. If you need to medicate, you can place orders on Epic by accessing the patient's "Hospital Chart" tab, then selecting the radiology outpatient appointment, there will be an Orders tab. There is no rapid response team at Waltham, so if it is a serious reaction and the patient needs to be transferred, they will call 911.
2. Procedures at Waltham are extremely rare these days. If there is a request, you can check the EPIC Snapboard for more information on the patient (MGP IMG RF WAL/ MGH RF1WA) or ask the fluoro/US techs to help you coordinate it.
OTHER WALTHAM TIPS
There used to be a free gym in the other building (52 Second Avenue). It is on Floor 1 (not the ground floor - you will see when you get on the elevator). Go either through the MGH store or the cafeteria, and you'll see the entrance. A key card is required and can be acquired from the front desk on the ground floor. The gym was closed during COVID, we will update it here if it opens again.
Some fellows opt either to moonlight (contrast coverage) or to workout and then go home in order to miss the bad traffic heading into the city at 5pm. Contact the Radiology chief residents if you want to take moonlight shifts.