Radiography as a Career Choice

History:

When Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen discovered X-rays on November 8, 1895, he surely would have thought about the invincible benefits of X-rays for the medical field. The discovery of X-rays indeed became a grand success in 1896 when Hall-Edwards from England became the first person to use X-rays in a surgical operation. Edwards used X-rays to find out the needle that got stuck in the hand of his associate. Since that period, X-ray technology has been evolving rapidly.

 

What is Radiography?

 

The process of producing images on a film by using radiation such as X-rays is called Radiography. It is that process by which images of soft tissues, bones and various organs are produced to diagnose a trauma or disease. Based on X-ray reports, the physician decides necessary procedure to cure a disease or ailment. Radiography is an essential segment of the medical science which is growing at a fast pace. Due to this growth, radiographers are in great demand these days.

What does a Radiographer do?

A radiographer is a health professional who is responsible for producing quick and accurate diagnostic images that assist Radiologists to diagnose the illness or injury of the patient. With the help of ionized radiation such as X-rays, radiographers produce diagnostic images that play a crucial role in deciding upon the medical protocols for the patient’s ailment. Radiographers are required to perform X-ray examinations on patients under defined clinical setups.

What are the different types of a Radiographer?

There are two types of radiographers - diagnostic and therapeutic. Diagnostic radiographers generally work within the radiology department of hospitals and are responsible to produce high quality images of a disease or an injury. They use a wide range of techniques to determine the cause of an ailment such as: X-ray, Fluoroscopy, Ultrasound, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), CT (Computed Tomography), Angiography and Nuclear Medicine.

 

On the other hand, therapeutic radiographers work closely with doctors and other members of oncology department to treat patients suffering from cancer. They are most widely known as radiotherapy radiographers. They play an important role in treatment of the cancer patients, as they are the only health professionals who plan and execute precise radiotherapy. At the time of treatment of a tumour, the accuracy of therapeutic radiographers is very crucial to destroy the affected tissue, whilst minimising the exposure of radiations to adjacent healthy tissues. Therapeutic radiographers use advanced techniques such as Adaptive Radiotherapy, Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy and Image Guided Radiotherapy for treatments and ensure the treatment is provided under highly qualified and skilled guidance.

Reasons to choose radiography as a career:

Radiography is an integral part of the treatment process and both diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers are significant to it. They both play a vital role in diagnosis and treatment of serious diseases like cancer. Without detailed images, a radiologist would not be able to diagnose the root cause of an ailment, which is possible only through diagnostic radiotherapy. And without a highly qualified radiotherapy radiographer, providing therapy treatments to cancer patients would become difficult. Therefore, both types of radiographers are of utmost importance to the modern medicine.