Radiography Career
Radiography Career
What exactly does a radiographer do? The radiographers do investigation with the aid of highly sophisticated medical imaging
equipments to find out why people are ill. They are also involved in the diagnostic and treatment of cancer. If you have
relatives or friends who met with accidents and fractured their bones, chances are that you will see some images of the
injured place taken by radiographers to determine the damage done as well as helping the physicians to treat the condition.
There are various equipments that are used by the radiographers. They are..
- CT Scan The Computed Tomography or commonly known as CT Scan is used to create a three dimensional images which
can be split into individual slices.
- MRI Also known as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, it is used to create two or three dimensional images of different
tissues types within the body of the patient.
- X-ray X-ray is used to create images that looks though the tissues of the body to examine cavities, bones and the
presence of foreign objects within the body of the patient.
- Fluoroscopy Fluoroscopy is used to create live images of the digestive system in the body of the patient.
- Angiography Angiography deals with the investigation of the blood cells and blood vessels of the body of the
patient.
- Ultrasound Ultrasound is used usually by obstetricians and gynaecologists to see the development of the foetus and
investigate any abnormality that may be presence in the tissues of the body. Ultrasound operators are also known as
sonographers.
There are basically 2 types of radiographers. They are diagnostic and therapeutic radiographer.
Diagnostic Radiographer
The job of a diagnostic radiographer is to produce a very detailed and high quality images of the conditions inside the body
of a patient as requested by the physicians. These images are used to diagnose the reason why the patient is ill or not well.
The exact location and size of the tumor in the body of a cancer patient is determined by looking at the images produced.
Further treatment decision is made by looking at how severe the cancer tumor has spread.
Therapeutic Radiographer
Therapeutic radiographers job is to help treat the patient who has been diagnosed with cancer by using the various medical
imaging equipments. They work closely with the oncologists in administering the correct doses of radiation to a specific
part of the body to shrink the growth of the cancer cells.
Radiography Career Qualifications
- Interpersonal Skills As the radiographers interact with patients all the time, their interpersonal and
communication skills have to be good. They need to know how to provide support and confident to the
patients who may be frightened and discouraged during the treatment. They must show professionalism and confidence in
diagnostics and treatment undertaken by them.
- Diploma/Degree Obtaining a diploma or degree in radiography is the first step in this career. One may specialise
in CT scanning, MRI, breast screening, general radiography or interventional radiography. One must have interest in subjects
such as biology, anatomy and physiology as these knowledge will be used when doing ones job.
The job opportunity for one to pursue a radiography career is good as more healthcare facilities are being built to cater for the increasing needs of the population.
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