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Posts Tagged ‘Nuclear Medicine’

The field of radiology offers a multitude of options for the aspiring medical imaging professional. How many people have thought about getting into radiology, but couldn’t get past the clich? of the option of becoming an x-ray technician or waving a wand around a pregnant woman’s belly, viewing a fetus in the womb. Then there are the lucky ones who have a friend or a relative who are in the profession and give them some insight; help them get past the clich?s about the profession. Hopefully, this article will get past the common ideas about the field and provide some insight into a field that offers endless possibilities for growth.

The field of radiology, broadly speaking, can be broken down into three main components. The first is general radiography. The second is Ultrasound, which is properly referred to as Diagnostic Medical Sonography. The third is Nuclear Medicine.

General radiography is often an entry point into the field of radiology, although, you can choose to enter the field from any one point. General radiography entails being the professional who takes pictures of the inside of the body. The area being imaged is predetermined by the ordering physician based on the clues they have about what might be wrong with a patient. This could be something as simple as determining whether a bone is broken or fractured or it could be to locate an unusual growth. The picture taken is called a radiograph. A radiograph, also known as an x-ray is produced using small doses of ionizing radiation to produce the images. The use of x-ray technology is used on other related procedures as well. The most commonly used are MRI’s (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), CT (Computed Tomography), and Mammography. All of these procedures use the same technology of ionizing radiation in order to obtain the images.

When you make the decision to take path of general radiography, you can either start as a limited scope x-ray technician or you can become certified as a Radiologic Technologist. Limited Scope X-Ray Tech’s often perform multiple roles such as Medical Assisting along with their x-ray duties. Being a Limited Scope X-Ray Tech often requires that you become licensed through the state that you work in and sometimes involves a test that ensures you understand the basic fundamentals of x-ray and radiation safety. If you want to become a Radiologic Technologist, or R.T., as it is often referred, you will need to complete an associates degree and pass an exam administered through the ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists).

Being a Radiologic Technologist requires that you have compassion and understanding for patients with a variety of conditions and circumstances. It is your job to position the patient properly so that the best possible image can be obtained for diagnosis and to keep the patient calm when anxiety may be running high.

Another entry point into a career in radiology and medical imaging is Diagnostic Medical Sonography. Becoming an Ultrasound Tech, now properly called a Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, is achieved when you complete an associates degree and pass an exam administered by the ARDMS (American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers). The technology used in sonography is different than radiography; ionizing radiation is not used, but instead high frequency sound wave technology is used to capture images.

There is a common misconception that being an Ultrasound Tech is a simple procedure in which someone moves a wand-like device around the body, while images are magically captured on a screen. The reality is that being an Ultrasound Tech requires a keen sense of anatomical structures and their location and relation to one another. A highly developed understanding of anatomy and above average hand eye coordination are a must for anyone considering a career in ultrasound. You must be able to understand what you are looking at on the screen in order to get the best image for the physician to review.

The field of ultrasound branches off into many sub-specialties. Some of the more common are abdominal sonography, obstetrics, gynecological, cardiac, and vascular sonography. Abdominal sonography focuses on the many complex organs and tissues within the abdominal area such as the liver, pancreas, spleen, gall bladder, and kidneys. Obstetrics and gynecological sonography, often abbreviated as “ob-gyn” is what usually comes to mind when the subject of ultrasound comes up. This is the branch of ultrasound that focuses on the health and progress of a pregnancy and monitoring of the female reproductive organs. Cardiac sonography is all about monitoring heart and valve function. Closely related to cardiac, is vascular sonography, which monitors the flow of blood to and from the heart and throughout the blood vessels. The uses of ultrasound technology are always evolving and offer several interesting paths of work and study in itself.

Nuclear Medicine is the least commonly known branch of radiology and is often misunderstood. Because the term “nuclear” has negative connotations attached to it, the work is sometimes misunderstood or thought to be dangerous. Quite to the contrary, nuclear medicine is a safe method of peering into the cellular function and physiology of a patient. In a nutshell, radioactive isotopes, known as radionuclides are combined with various pharmaceuticals, which are administered to a patient. The way in which these substances react in the body provides clues to problems and helps to identify the source of illness and diseases. The difference between nuclear medicine and the two other branches of radiology, is that it uses chemicals that actually react at the cellular level, rather than just snapping pictures. Careers in nuclear medicine range from the highly specialized pharmacists who prepares the radionuclides to the individuals who actually administer and interpret the reactions. Becoming a Nuclear Medicine Tech starts with an associates degree and it is recommended that you become licensed through the NMTCB (Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board).

Choosing a career in radiology and medical imaging can seem overwhelming, given all the options. Usually, one of the main paths will spark your interest more than another. If you’re not sure about it, contact a local diagnostic medical imaging center or the radiology unit in a local hospital and ask if there are any volunteers who would be willing to talk about what it is like to be in their shoes. Finding out first hand about the challenges and realities as well as what is rewarding about the job can be eye opening. You should also talk to representatives from schools offering radiology programs and be prepared with a list of questions about the programs to ensure it matches your unique skills and unique desires. I hope this article has given you some insight into the options within the field of radiology.

Radiology is a stream of medical science that deals with medical imaging. X-ray machines or other such radiation devices are used imaging purpose. Radiology also includes techniques that do not involve radiation, such as MRI and ultrasound.

Radiology can be classified into two streams that are diagnostic radiology and therapeutic radiology. Diagnostic radiology is concerned with the use of different imaging modalities to aid in the diagnosis of disease. Diagnostic radiology can be further classified into multiple sub-specialty domains. Interventional radiology is one of the sub-specialty areas that use the imaging modalities of diagnostic radiology to guide minimally invasive surgical procedures. On the other hand, Therapeutic radiology, also called radiation oncology uses radiation to treat diseases such as cancer.

Some of the common imaging modalities are:

General radiography Computed tomography (CT) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Ultrasound Nuclear imaging techniques

General radiography: In this imaging modality, x-rays are used to create images and for the evaluation of many bony and soft tissue structures. Fluoroscopy and angiography are some of the special applications of X-ray imaging that have real-time imaging ability.

CT scanning: This imaging technique uses X-rays in conjunction with computing algorithms to image tissues in the body. At times, contrast media is used to delineate anatomy and allow 3D reconstructions of structures, such as arteries and veins.

Sonography: Medical ultrasonography uses high-frequency sound waves to visualize soft tissue structures in the body in real time and does not involve any radiation.

MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging:  Magnetic resonance imaging is a noninvasive medical test that uses a powerful magnetic field, radio frequency pulses and a computer to produce detailed images of organs, soft tissues, bone and virtually all other internal body structures for treatment and diagnosis.

Nuclear medicine: This imaging technique involves the use of radionuclides or radiopharmaceuticals for evaluation of heart, lungs, thyroid, liver, gallbladder, and bones for diagnosis and treatment.

Radiologists utilize these imaging technologies for diagnosis and treatment of various diseases.

See a Radiologic Technologist in action, in any of the MRI/Ultrasound/X-Ray rooms. These specialists use medical instruments to create images of specific parts of the body. After the images are obtained they continue on to assist the doctors in diagnosing the exact cause of the patient’s ailment. A demanding and challenging task! Most healthcare organizations require Radiologic Technologists to aid their doctors with diagnostic medical examinations.

How can Radiologic Technologist advance in his career?

The job of a Radiologic Technologist is tedious, yet it is rewarding with a lot of room for advancement. Most technologists work in critical rooms of the hospital like trauma, CT, surgery and angiography rooms. A Radiologic Technologist can continue his education in the fields of Mammography, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) or Angiography. Fifty percent of radiologic technologists opting for career advancement choose MRI as their domain of study.

Completing any of these courses from an accredited program would get the radiologic technologists certified by the ARRT. These technologists could also choose ultrasound, nuclear medicine or radiation therapy as alternative courses of study.

Technologists who wish to take up managerial roles can apply for the position of shift supervisor or a chief radiologic technologist. These roles require the individual to manage a team of radiologic technologists. Some healthcare organizations mandate the requirement of a Business Degree in addition to the technologists’ experience as a must for applying to managerial roles.

Radiologic Technologists desiring to make a technical career of this profession can seek to apply as a Clinical Instructor or a Program Director.

It has been reported that the median salary of Radiologic technologists is $59,000 per year. With advancement in his role, you could expect the salary to go up by 25%.

Essentials required for a radiologic technologist to advance

A radiologic technologist has many options available to advance his career. Spending one to two years in his role as a radiologic technologist prior to a entering a special modality program will increase his chance of success. Time spent by the technologist in the radiographer role would also allow him to analyze his qualities. Technically sound radiologic technologists can choose to go the clinical director path.

Individuals who are management oriented and have the necessary educational background can choose the position of a Chief Radiologic Technologist or Director of Imagining. Please note that the technologist would need to spend at least 5years prior to taking on the role of a chief radiologic technologist.

A lot of people think becoming a radiologic technologist means their training is complete. In reality, this position offers you the ability to continue learning in the current role and well beyond. Imagine the education you would have if you took about 20 x-rays every day. Without being a doctor yourself, you could often times diagnose the patient’s problem!

Career advancement opportunities for radiologic technologists are many. In fact, these technologists can decide if they wish to continue in their current roles. Many technologists do this keeping in mind the knowledge and satisfaction the current role provides them with.