A Radiology Technician Is One Type Of Radiology Job

Radiology and the radiology departments in medical practices and facilities have several different types of employees. One of these employees is the radiology technician. They work as the assistant to the radiologist. These assistants are needed in every field of radiology as they are the actual person that works the machinery that will be used on the patient.

It is a little known fact that only 1.2% of all trained doctors are trained in the field of radiology. Since radiology covers a large portion of medicine that means there is actually a shortage of radiology experts to perform the diagnostic tests and the radiation treatments that patients require.

Anyone that desires to pursue employment in this field has a lot of different branches of radiology to choose from, and different positions within the department. Some of the different departments a radiology technician can be employed in are:

*Cardiovascular radiology where they will work closely with radiologist that treat diseases of the heart and the blood system with radiation treatments. This particular branch of radiology is mainly diagnostic in nature. However, this method can sometimes be used to try and prevent surgeries.

*Chest Radiology concentrates the imaging they do on the chest off the patient. Images are made by these professionals of the lungs, the heart, the blood vessels in the area, and the bones of both the chest and spine of the patient. These tests are done to identify the causes of chest pain, and of persistent coughing, and of patients who are experiencing a great deal of trouble breathing.
They also monitor the progress of diseases like heart failure and chronic lung diseases like emphysema to see what treatments are working, and how the disease is developing.

*In breast radiology there is a radiologist that is trained to read the images taken of the breast to detect cancerous tumors at their earliest stages. The radiology technician works closely with these doctors to perform the test. Advances in technology bring about new and improved imaging techniques that are regularly applied in this field. The technician that chooses to work in this field will stay abreast of the latest equipment and the latest resources available in detecting this cancer.

While you are working your way through medical school you can go to work in any of these departments of radiology as a specialized nurse. These nurses work closely with the patient preparing them for the examination and test they are having, and after the test they work with the patient making certain they understand any instructions the doctor has given them, and making sure they are comfortable.