What is Radiologic Technology?

Great Careers Start Here
  • Hidden
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Radiologic technology is the process of taking diagnostic images of bones and internal organs. These images are captured through X-rays, MRIs and CT scans, and can help doctors diagnose and monitor  patient conditions. The person who performs the imaging is a Radiologic Technologist or radiographer. Doing this work, you might also be called a rad tech or radiation therapy professional. And if you specialize in a particular kind of radiologic technology, you might take on its name. For example, if you take X-rays, you’re an X-ray technician; if you take mammograms, you’re a mammographer or mammography technician. 

Are you interested in a healthcare career? Working in radiology provides many benefits including rewarding work, job stability, and long-term job prospects.

How Does Radiologic Technology Work?

Radiologic technology uses electromagnetic radiation and sound waves. In X-rays, for example, a machine generates a small amount of radiation that passes through a patient’s body. Denser tissues like bones absorb more radiation, and show up white on the X-ray film, while softer tissues appear darker. During a CT scan, rotating X-ray machines and detectors take cross-sectional images using the same process. MRIs use strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce their images of soft tissues. And ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves, which bounce off tissues to create the images from echo patterns.

Types of Radiology

Radiology is a critical component to modern medicine because it enables accurate diagnosis and treatment planning through non-invasive imaging techniques. It helps detect disease early, guides surgical decisions, and allows doctors to monitor treatment progress. Every other part of medicine can benefit from radiology including surgery, pediatrics, oncology, and obstetrics. With radiology, doctors can identify broken bones, detect cancer, and monitor the health of unborn babies. Among the imaging procedures you may be required to perform as a Radiologic Technologist are:

  • X-rays—You might capture images of the chest, abdomen, arms or legs so that a doctor can assess a bone fracture, identify scoliosis, or examine the hearts and lungs. 
  • MRIs—With an MRI, you use electromagnets and radio waves to show the progression of tumors, inflammation, and the blood supply to certain organs. 
  • CT Scans—Using a CT scan, you may help to identify complex fractures, internal bleeding, vascular disease, spinal issues, infections, clots, tumors, and cancer. 
  • Mammograms—During a mammogram, you look for abnormal breast tissue that might show signs of cancer.
  • Ultrasounds—During an ultrasound or sonogram, you use sound waves to create images that are commonly used to monitor fetus development in the womb.

radiologic technologist

5 Responsibilities of a Radiologic Technician

As a Radiologic Technician, you might specialize in one type of diagnostic imaging procedure, but you should know how to perform all of them efficiently and accurately. Here’s a closer look at the duties of a Radiologic Technologist:

  • Prep Patients for Radiologic Procedure

Before you can take an image, you need to make sure the patient has followed the necessary pre-procedure steps. For example, for an abdominal ultrasound, your patient may need to fast before the exam. Have they? Or they may need to have a full bladder for a pelvic ultrasound. And if they are having a CT scan or MRI, they may need to drink a contrast dye to enhance the image clarity. Your patient may also be nervous. It’s up to you to explain the procedure and address any concerns they might have.

  • Position Patients for Radiologic Imaging

For most imaging, you will have the patient remove any jewelry or metal objects to avoid interference with imaging. You guide them to the imaging machine and position them to make them comfortable, while ensuring you can also get the most accurate image possible. You position the patient using anatomical landmarks based on the part of the body you need to capture. You may also need to cover any areas that you are not imaging with a lead apron to avoid excess radiation exposure. 

  • Take Accurate Images

To take accurate images, you need to select the correct exposure setting and make sure you restrict the beam to the smallest area of interest. Have the patient stay very still so you can gather images that are clear, clean, and accurate. Immediately after you capture the images, assess them for diagnostic quality, clear anatomy, and correct exposure. If the image isn’t to your satisfaction, retake it before presenting it to the radiologist.

  • Communicate with Doctors and Update Patient Records

Once the images are ready for review, you may add notes on their quality. And while you leave official diagnoses to a radiologist or physician, you may share your preliminary observations with them. You may be asked to take additional imaging or schedule follow-ups with the patients. After the visit, you update the patient’s medical records with the images you took.

  • Maintain Radiologic Equipment

In addition to taking images, you will also help clean and maintain the medical equipment. To ensure consistency and reliability in imaging, you need to regularly calibrate the machines. If there are ever issues with the equipment, you may need to troubleshoot. Or you may need to escalate to a repair technician.

Do you want to work in radiologic technology? It’s an important and rewarding field and employment of Rad Techs is expected to increase faster than the average through the decade. If you’re interested in becoming a radiologic technologist, contact Charter College today. We offer an Associate of Applied Science in Radiologic Technology that can prepare you for an entry-level position. Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to learn more.