subject: A Career As a Radiological Technician [print this page] A Career As a Radiological Technician A Career As a Radiological Technician
In the United States, radiologists and technicians are referred to as radiographers and they are primarily responsible for operating x ray machinery. In recent years the field of human imaging expanded significantly and today a radiographer can do anything from a simple x-ray to a highly sophisticated magnetic resonance image. Regardless of what they are involved in, radiographers play a crucial role in assisting doctors and helping patients.As a radiographer one of your main tasks will be to capture images of the human body using a variety of highly sophisticated machines. Although these machines are designed to help us, they can be extremely dangerous and unless you are a very precise and through person, this career might not be for you. There is a lot more to it than merely operating machines though. You will have a lot of one-on-one interaction with patients and the ability to assist and deal with them is a large part of the job. People skills is definitely a must.The careers prospects are continuously expanding and with more and more sophisticated machines becoming available, the need for more skilled technicians is continuously growing. Getting Qualified as a radiographer is the first step, but it pens up a lot of opportunities once you get qualified and gain a bit of experience. You can choose to specialize and become an Ultrasound technician, a MRI Technician, a Bone Densitometries or even a Mammogram Technician. The potential is endless and the opportunities to advance your careers and your qualification is always there.The future for Radiological Technicians look really good. With an estimated 15 % growth over the ext 6 years, there is a great demand in both the public and the private sector. With private health facilities demanding a high level of service, the potential for a high paying job in a private clinic is indeed a great lure for any fresh graduate.The starting salary for a radiologist in the USA is between $30k and $35k per year and is way above the average for medical assistants. If you choose to specialize and qualify for a more advanced career I MRI for instance you can easy expect to earn $55k per year. The real rewards however is not financially. This is a very rewarding job emotionally and like doctors you get to help people - without the emotional trauma that many doctors and surgeons have to deal with.Are you looking for good x ray technician schools? See my blog to read more about becoming a radiology technician.
