X-rays are one area in which radiology technicians specialize.
Radiology technicians or technologists, also called radiographers, produce images of various parts of human bodies and conduct tests on patients. Physicians use the results to diagnose diseases and examine internal organs, tissues, bones, growths and tumors. Radiology technicians prepare patients for the procedures, take X-ray pictures according to the doctor's instructions, maintain related records and ensure the images are clear. Several types of technicians specialize in different areas of radiology.
CT Technologists
These technologists use computed tomography (CT), an ionizing radiation technology that produces large, cross-sectional images of specified body areas. A three-dimensional picture constructed from the images gives the doctor a view of the body's organs and bones from various angles.
MRI Specialists
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologists create more-detailed images than those produced by CT scans. These three-dimensional images are created with non-ionizing radio frequencies that produce more contrast and detail than other imaging methods. MRIs frequently follow CT scans that have failed to produce enough information on which to make a diagnosis.
Mammography Technicians
Using low-dose X-ray systems, mammography technicians image different angles of the breast to detect tumors, growths, masses and fibrous cysts. The job requires careful placement of breasts in glass enclosures that stabilize and flatten them, to produce the clearest possible images, and monitoring changes in breast tissues over months or years.
Vascular Imaging Technologists
In this specialty, technologists perform ultrasound tests on the heart and other organs and create images of the body's circulatory system to detect blockages and other problems. Vascular imaging technologists also put patients through stress tests and administer electrocardiograms.
Echocardiography Technicians
Echocardiography technicians use sound wave imaging to take pictures of the human heart as it pumps blood. The sound waves capture much more detail than conventional X-rays and allow the technician to monitor changes in heart rates and patterns over brief periods.
Related Occupations
As technology advances, other diagnostic imaging and testing jobs are created. Sonography technicians, once limited to obstetric imaging, perform sonograms using high-frequency sound waves to diagnose medical conditions and collect images on videotape and computers for review by doctors. Nuclear medicine technologists give patients radiopharmaceuticals and use imaging technology to monitor how the drugs affect organs and tissues, helping physicians to diagnose diseases and infections.
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