The Career of a Radiology Technician?

Answer 1

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that employment for radiology technicians is expected to increase faster than average--about 17% through 2018. With an aging population, there will be increased need for diagnostic imaging tests. More and more diagnostic imaging testing will be needed to diagnosis and treat injuries and diseases that often become more prevalent as one ages. Radiology technicians are largely employed by hospitals, but some are employed by physicians and diagnostic imaging centers. Radiology technicians that are skilled in multiple diagnostic imaging procedures such as MR, CT and mammography will have better choice of employment opportunities as employers take advantage of multi-skilled employees to control costs.

Radiology technicians, also referred to as radiologists, use x-ray equipment to diagnosis medical conditions. Radiologist also place nonradioactive material into a patient's vein to assist in diagnosis. Some radiologists specialize in particular diagnostic imaging procedures such as computerized tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and mammography. Medical sonographers, cardiovascular technicians and technologists and nuclear medicine technologists also perform procedures relating to diagnostic imaging.

Because radiologists spend a good part of their day on their feet and have to maneuver patients for imaging, they should be physically fit and have stamina. Not only does a radiology technician handle imaging equipment, but he usually must record patient history into computers. The radiologist must be skilled on proper safety protocols and adhere to regulations to eliminate unnecessary radiation to the patient and themselves. They place lead shields, which are often heavy, on patients to protect areas of the body not being imaged.

Certificate, associate's degree and bachelor's degrees are offered at most accredited radiology technician programs, with associate's degree being the most common educational prerequisite for the position. Programs are typically mixed with classroom study and clinical practice. Coursework includes anatomy, physiology, radiology imaging procedures, safety, radiation exposure, patient care, and radiation Biology. One year certificate programs are available for those that want to specialize in imaging procedures such as CT or MRI.

The salary that a radiologist technician earns depends upon his specialty. A radiologic technologist earns between $17.03 and $25.90 per hour while a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Technologist earns in the range of $24.48 to $28.05, according to PayScale.com as of September 2010. A Computed Tomography (CT) Technologist earns in the range of $16.61to $30.00 while a Mammography Technologist earns between $25.41 and $30.60 per hour.