A Career in Radiologic Technology

It was the year Louis Pasteur, a French chemist generally credited with promoting the germ theory of disease, passed away. It was the year Babe Ruth, an American baseball legend who was the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season, was born. It was the year George B. Selden, an inventor and patent lawyer, was granted the first U.S. patent for an automobile. It was 1895 and Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, a German physicist, was experimenting with vacuum tubes and discovered a mysterious form of energy that could pass through human tissue and produce an image on a specially coated plate. He called the mysterious energy X-rays.

Since Dr. Röntgen’s discovery of this mysterious form of energy, X-rays have been used in medicine to look deep into the human body to help physicians understand and diagnose medical problems. The medical specialty that uses X-rays is called radiology, and the doctors who study the images produced by X-rays are called radiologists. But radiologists could not do their jobs without the assistance of specially trained professionals called radiologic technologists, better known as rad techs.

Rad techs have special training so they can operate the machines that produce the images and pictures created by X-rays. If you have ever had an X-ray for a broken bone, it is likely that a rad tech took the picture. Rad techs know how to position people in the X-ray machines so the best picture is available for the radiologist to review. Rad techs have to know about human anatomy so they can recognize the details on images they take.

The specialty of radiology has grown over the past 50 years. New ways to use X-rays have been introduced and new ways to see inside the body that do not use X-rays have been invented. Sometimes this area of medicine is called “imaging.” Some of the new tests include the following:

1. Angiography is a technique that uses X-rays to see the blood vessels. A special liquid that can be seen by X-ray is injected into the blood vessels and the flow of the liquid is followed as it flows through the body. Rad techs usually assist with the injection of the liquid for the radiologist as well as taking the films.
   
   
2. Computerized axial tomography, better know as CT scans, use carefully focused X-rays to see a very small area of the body. These small areas are called pixels. Multiple pixels are then assembled by computer to produce detailed pictures of the body, usually in slices that make it easier to see small details. While special training is needed to operate CT scanning machines, rad techs are the ones who operate the CT scanners.
   
   
3. Mammography uses specially designed X-ray machines to study breast tissue, usually looking for signs of breast cancer.
   
   
4. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, usually known as MRI, does not use X-rays but is a commonly used tool to study images of the body. MRI uses strong magnets to change the configuration of molecules in the body. These energized molecules then give off energy that can be seen with special tools to produce pictures of the inside of the body. While special training is needed to operate MRI scanners rad techs are the ones who operate them.
   
   
5. Sonography is another form of imaging but it uses sound waves to see inside the body. Much like sonar on a submarine, sonography sends sound waves into the body which bounce back and produce an image of the organ being evaluated. This area of imaging requires special training. Some rad techs are trained to do sonography but this is one area of imaging that employs individuals who are not necessarily trained to use X-rays.
   
   
6. Nuclear Imaging is another area of study that helps physicians see inside the body. This type of test uses radioactive material that tends to go to specific organs of the body and allows an image to be obtained from the radioactivity the organ takes up. Special care must be taken when using radioactive materials in medicine. Some rad techs go on for training in this area as well.
   
   
7. Positron emission tomography scanning, or PET scans as they are called, is a form of nuclear medicine. However, PET scans are able to detect tissue function and may show abnormalities even before changes in anatomy develop. PET scans are used most often to evaluate the presence or spread of cancer in the body. These scans may be combined with MRI or CT scans to give a picture of anatomy and tissue function in one image.
   
   
8. Radiation therapy is a related field to radiologic technology. Radiation therapists work closely with physicians to use radiation to treat cancer. These professionals work in cancer treatment centers that have powerful sources of radiation used to destroy cancer tissue.
   
   
9. Rad techs also measure the density of bone, a procedure known as bone densitometry. The procedure is used to gauge the loss of calcium from bones, which can lead to fractures in older individuals.
   
   
10. Rad techs often advance to jobs in management, safety and quality. Rad techs must go through school in order to learn and understand how to work in this area. First, rad techs have to graduate from high school. Then they attend college and take courses in natural science and computer science as well as courses in radiologic technology. Most rad techs attend a two-year community college that offers an Associate Degree in Radiologic Technology. Some rad techs attend four-year colleges or universities where they earn a Bachelor’s Degree.

Rad techs often work in hospitals where they are involved in the emergency department, critical care units, surgical suites and different units of the radiology department. They may also work in public health, surgery centers and physicians’ offices. Regardless of where they work, rad techs need to enjoy working with people and helping those who may be sick or injured.

Radiologic technology is a rewarding career and is only one of many professions in the healthcare field. If the field of radiologic technology interests you visit a career fair in your area or speak with your guidance counselor or visit a local community college career advisor.

Editorial is provided by Woody V. Kageler, MD, MBA, Director Health Sciences and Mark Holt, MS, RT(R)-ARRT, Coordinator Radiologic Technology Program of Tarrant County College.