Skeletal System: Diagnostic Radiology Lab

With the Diagnostic Radiology Lab, your students will be the Doctor! They will examine their patient's X-Ray images, consult the Radiology Reference Guide, and make their diagnosis.

This activity includes:

Getting Started Teacher Guide (PDF)
Diagnostic Radiology Lab -High Quality (Interactive PDF)
Diagnostic Radiology Lab -Email Quality (PDF) smaller file size
Diagnostic Radiology Lab Printer Friendly version (PDF)
Diagnostic Radiology Board Exam activity (PDF)
Diagnostic Radiology Lab Student Answer Sheet (PDF)
Board Exam Answer KEY (PDF)
Lab Answer KEY (PDF)

The Diagnostic Radiology Lab is a 90 page Interactive (hyperlinked) document that guides students through the investigation and diagnosis of X-Ray images (radiographs) from 26 patients. Patient X-Rays are linked to the 6 Chapter (52 page) Radiology Reference Guide which provides comprehensive background information to students. The Reference Guide begins with an interactive Table of Contents with links to each page. Chapter One begins with an explanation of how radiographs are made, the basics of how to interpret them, and how to distinguish what is normal from what is not. Other chapters introduce students to bone anatomy, joints, types of fractures, conditions of the spine, and surgical techniques. Questions are carefully crafted to guide younger students while continuing to challenge more advanced students. Hints are provided in the form of links to specific sections or pages of the Radiology Reference Guide.

Also included is a 5 page "Radiology Board Exam" to be completed by students before they meet their patients. The Exam questions are presented by chapter and are designed to help students become familiar with the content in the Radiology Reference Guide.

Although the interactive power of the Diagnostic Radiology Lab is enhanced by the use of a computer, it is possible to print paper copies of the lab (all links also provide page numbers).

The Diagnostic Radiology Lab works well on any device that can read PDF documents with hyperlinks (Mac, PC, Chromebook, iPad*, etc.). The document can be emailed to students or distributed through an LMS such as Blackboard, Moodle, Schoology, Google Classroom (Google Drive) or just passed around on a flash drive. Whatever method you choose, please make sure the document is only available to your students.

*on your iPad, use an app like "Documents" by Readdle (free) to ensure full function of all hyperlinks.

Medical Disclaimer:
All X-Ray images are from real patients whose names and situations have been changed in the interest of confidentiality and to make the lab a bit more fun! Although every attempt has been made to provide accurate medical diagnoses, the purpose of this lab is strictly educational.