About Medical
Imaging Job
Medical imaging is the heart of proper diagnosis for many conditions and diseases. It is an intricate piece of the healthcare puzzle, making it easier and faster for a doctor to treat, and possibly save, a patient's life. With the increase of technological advances in this field, a medical imager or technician needs to be on top of their game, both educationally and professionally.
History
When professor Roentgen first discovered the X-ray in the early 1900s, he put radiology on the board. This aspect of healthcare was soon thought of as an area of specialty, continuing to grow and expand in its development of techniques and technology at a quick pace. However it was during World War II that this development increased rapidly due to the massive use of X-ray imaging throughout the war. This historic era in our Nation's history brought about the inventions of more high-tech equipment like digital computers, which expedited the time it took to gain a proper diagnosis. In the seventies, the cat scan machine was invented, providing a more in depth profile of the area of the body that was causing the illness. A short time later, the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine was created, enabling a doctor to focus even more specifically on the part of the body he felt required treatment.
Significance
Choosing a career in the area of medical imaging is something that should not be taken lightly. The images you take and provide to the doctor are what they base their diagnosis and treatment plan on. The various types of medical imaging will help the doctor specifically locate the area of the body that is diseased, such as a tumor or a blood clot in the brain. The images they receive will guide their hand through surgery if the chosen course of treatment is to remove the abnormality. Medical imaging also helps the doctor determine if the course of treatment he chose is beneficial to the patient.
Function
Medical imaging is known also as clinical imaging and is classified as a department of radiology. It provides the patient with a specific diagnosis without having to undergo an invasive procedure. Many doctors view medical imaging as a way to determine the cause of the problem by the effect it is having on the body. For instance, if a patient is experiencing seizures for no explicable reason, the doctor will typically order an MRI of the brain to determine the cause of the seizures. An MRI works by releasing powerful magnets to the localized area, which cause a vibrating pattern in the water molecules of the tissue. These vibrations in turn produce a detectable signal from which the images are formed. Another form of medical imaging is called Breast Thermography, or Digital Infrared Imaging (DII). This process uses infrared light to detect the surface heat cancerous tumors produce. This type of imaging is extremely sensitive and helps detect breast cancer in its earliest stages.
Types
There is more than one type of medical imaging job available in the healthcare field. One is actually becoming a medical imaging technician. These techs are most usually employed in hospitals, and depending on whether or not a particular hospital is affiliated with another facility, the technician may be required to work at different sites when it is needed. With the growing development and technological advances of imaging machines, a career as an OME (one who repairs the machines), is also an option. In this position, you would be employed by the manufacturer of the machines as a field service technician. There is also the medical imager who works for independent practices or companies. This would include the medical imagers who perform the MRI's. Most hospitals do not have an area inside the hospital to conduct an MRI, therefore they call in companies who specialize in them to come on certain days of the week to perform them.
Considerations
If you are considering a career as a medical imager, you will need to earn at least an associate's degrees a medical imaging technician or in an area of engineering. While medical imaging technicians used to be trained on site, facilities are now setting higher educational standards due to the ever increasing world of technology. Some of the courses that may be included in your studies are pathology, physics, anatomy and physiology. Many medical imaging technicians are now choosing to obtain a certification through the International Commission of Accreditation. This will provide the medical imaging technician with a certificate which states that they have shown excellence in the theoretical and practical knowledge of biomedical equipment technology. Currently, the salary range for technicians is between $20,000 and $30,000 a year, with the potential of make eighty thousand a year if promoted to a supervisor's position.
Tags: medical imaging, medical imaging, imaging technician, medical imager, medical imaging technician, About Medical
