X-ray technicians take several classes to teach them x-ray patients properly.
Employment opportunities for radiologic technicians are expected to increase by 17 percent between 2008 and 2018, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Qualified x-ray technicians who take x-rays of patients to help doctors diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries fill many radiologic technician jobs. While all x-ray technician programs have slightly different courses and standards, the main classes needed to be a successful x-ray technician are the same.
Anatomy and Physiology
X-ray technicians need to have a solid understanding of human anatomy and physiology in order to perform their jobs effectively. These two sciences are usually combined into a single class that teaches future x-ray technicians the appropriate terminology for parts of the human body, including bones and muscles and how the various components of the human body function.
Medical Terminology
Medical terminology courses teach x-ray technicians speak, write and understand the language of medicine. Medical procedures, tests, conditions, diseases and treatments often have names that are difficult to understand without a solid medical terminology foundation. These classes focus on understanding the prefixes, suffixes and root words that are commonly used in medical terms.
Medical Ethics
Medical ethics is sometimes taught as an individual course, though it is combined as an overall theme in all medical classes for x-ray technicians. Patients' medical information is a very sensitive and legally protected area. X-ray technicians must learn deal with patients and protect the privacy of medical records to avoid violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996.
Radiographic Positioning
X-ray technicians take classes on radiographic positioning to teach them position patients to produce quality, clear images that doctors can use to diagnose and treat medical conditions and injuries. Having to redo x-rays because of poor positioning costs hospitals, laboratories, insurance companies and patients time and money, so it is important for x-ray technicians to position their patients properly the first time to minimize the need for repeat images. Radiographic positioning classes also teach students position patients with injuries to minimize discomfort and decrease the risk of making the injury worse.
Radiologic Technology
Radiologic technology classes teach x-ray technician students operate and maintain the x-ray machines. While x-ray technicians perform many other duties beyond simply taking x-ray images, the operation of the machines is the main responsibility of an x-ray technician. Many x-ray technician programs allow students to get hands-on experience operating different kinds of machines and working with different types of imaging software to prepare them for employment.
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