NMTCB(CT) study plan

Classify iodinated contrast agents by osmolality and ionic/nonionic character, and match each class to its typical clinical use

Identify patient risk factors that trigger a pre-contrast screening hold (renal impairment, prior reaction, asthma, thyroid disease, metformin use)

Describe the step-by-step management of a contrast reaction by severity level and of an IV extravasation

Differentiate indications for oral, IV, and rectal contrast in abdominal and pelvic protocols

Explain patient-education and consent points before contrast administration

Apply a patient-screening checklist to pregnancy, lactation, renal function, and pediatric cases and state the appropriate modification for each

Define CTDIvol, DLP, SSDE, and effective dose and explain how each is derived and where each is displayed on the scanner console

Calculate effective dose from DLP using published conversion factors for at least three body regions

List dose-reduction strategies tied to tube current modulation, kV selection, pitch, and reconstruction algorithm choice

State occupational and public dose limits and the ALARA/ALADA principles that govern them

Compare how mA, kVp, pitch, rotation time, and collimation each change patient dose and image noise

Explain gantry shielding, scatter, and technologist positioning practices that reduce occupational exposure

Label major abdominal and pelvic structures (liver segments, kidneys, bowel, vasculature) on axial, coronal, and sagittal reformats

Trace the path of a contrast bolus through arterial and venous phases and match each phase to the anatomy it opacifies

Identify thoracic anatomy on axial CT, including mediastinal compartments, great vessels, and hilar structures

Describe standard protocol design for routine chest, abdomen/pelvis, and CTA studies, including timing, coverage, and reconstruction thickness

Differentiate indications for multiphase liver, renal mass, and pulmonary embolism protocols

Recognize the appearance of common pathologies (effusion, mass, dissection, obstruction) at a screening level sufficient to answer anatomy-and-pathology items

Describe the function of the tube, detector array, slip ring, and gantry in acquiring a helical dataset

Relate pitch, collimation, and reconstruction interval to slice sensitivity profile and z-axis resolution

Explain Hounsfield unit calibration and how window width and level change displayed contrast

Compare filtered back projection with iterative and model-based reconstruction in terms of noise, dose, and image texture

Differentiate beam-hardening, photon-starvation, motion, metal, and ring artifacts and state one correction for each

Describe MPR, MIP, and volume-rendered post-processing and select the appropriate one for a given clinical question

Explain how automatic exposure control adapts tube current across the z-axis and angularly, and its interaction with pitch

Identify the anatomy tested most often in neuro and musculoskeletal cross-sections (sinuses, orbits, spine levels, joints)

Describe the components and tolerances of a CT quality-assurance program: CT number accuracy, uniformity, noise, spatial resolution, slice thickness, and laser alignment

Explain the purpose of the dosimetry phantom and how to interpret a CTDI measurement

Sequence the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual QA tasks and state what triggers a service call

Evaluate an out-of-tolerance QA result and propose the corrective action

Integrate all four domains in a full-length timed practice examination under test conditions

Re-teach the five weakest topics identified by the practice exam using original summary sheets

Recite the dose metrics, limits, contrast thresholds, and QA tolerances from memory without notes

Build a one-page pre-exam recall sheet of numbers, formulas, and decision rules