Help Others with Radiology Technician Training

February 16, 2005
By Mary Hobson
Mary.Hobson@hqpubilications.com
Healthcare Programs Columnist

A career in radiology is more than just a technically interesting job; it is a commitment to working with people who are in need of help and reassurance and for whom you can make a stressful situation just a routine, un-frightening experience.

A Variety of Radiology Technician Jobs

In fact there are several different kinds of specialties involved in radiology technician jobs:

Radiographers work in x ray laboratories, taking x ray images of the human body for diagnostic purposes.
CT technologists work with CT scanners producing cross sectional images of the body.
MRI technologists use machines which utilize strong magnets and radio waves to produce their images for diagnostic purposes.

All of these different radiology technician jobs require radiology technician training.

Choose your Level of Radiology Technician Education

Radiology technology schools offer a variety of different radiology technician training programs in both full-time and part-time mode. Many of the programs lead to associate's or bachelor's degrees, giving you a qualification that will be universally recognized.

You will find that your time spent in one of the radiology technology schools is valuable not only for the radiology technician education you gain, but also because you will spend time the environment you will work in, and you will be able to meet other people in radiology technician jobs.

Your radiology technician education will include a theoretical medical background, consisting of subjects such as anatomy, physiology, physics and chemistry, as well as relevant technology subjects that will help you put your work into the context of the medical procedures it forms a part of.

You will learn about the industry you are to work in, and you will also learn more about the role of radiology procedures in the work of the physician.

Most radiology technology schools include a period of clinical internship in their radiology technician training, making sure that you learn the practical skills that you will use in your radiology technician jobs. This part of your radiology technician education is valuable not only for what you learn, but also because you will be able to experience the day to day routine of your new profession.

Life after Radiology Technology Schools

When you have successfully finished your radiology technician education, you can choose from the variety of radiology technician jobs that are available. Many radiology technician schools will help you to find this important first job; some students find that their internship placement they completed as a part of their radiology technician training leads to a permanent job.

You will quickly find that your new career is much more than simply operating machinery and delivering results to the physician. You are working with people who rely on you to help them recover their health, and in many cases this includes vulnerable members of society such as children and old people who have difficulty in understanding the processes they are undergoing. You can contribute to their recovery by giving them positive and reassuring help, and make your job that much more worthwhile.

About the Author

Mary Hobson is a consultant for technology start-ups in Russia. She has also worked as an executive officer in a defense facility and as a university lecturer in computer science and management information. Mary earned her first degree in textile marketing and subsequently studied education and computer science at a Master's degree level.

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