Radiology technicians are responsible for a myriad of tasks, including administering various types of X-rays, prepping patients for such tests, maintaining radiology machines and conducting administrative duties in radiology departments. To be an effective and credible radiology tech, you must have a certain amount of educational training, including specific courses to teach you do your job properly and efficiently.
Fundamentals of Radiology
This course might be called another name, depending on the educational institution. However, the basic concept is the same in that students learn how radiology plays a part in an overall health care environment. It provides an overview of X-ray technology, protective procedures for the radiation that accompanies an X-ray and guidelines for the care of patients. This course also provides an overview of other X-ray procedures and other pertinent information for this particular career type.
Radiology Procedures/Imaging
These two classes are the crux of a radiology training program, as they teach basic radiology procedures and imaging practices. A radiology procedures course covers basics on take X-rays, best practices for proper positioning of patients to get quality images and look over images to see certain components of the patient. An imaging course teaches methods magnifying X-rays, principles of radiography and X-ray certain sections of the body. Radiology imaging courses also teach analyze X-rays and the best ways to form a hypothesis about what you see on certain images.
Radiology Protection Courses
According to the Education Portal website, this might be one course or split into two if the radiology program of your choice also offers information on the exposure process of radiology. The principle of these courses is to learn important protective procedures of radiology, specific to radiation. Because radiation exposure -- particularly at high levels and in regular intervals -- can have an adverse affect on the health of a patient and the technician, it is important to learn safety principles early.
Ethics/Health care Procedures
This also could be one class or two depending on the radiology program. Budding radiology technicians will learn about laws relating to patient confidentiality and ethics. This information will be specific to radiology processes, for example, the fact that you should not -- as a technician -- disclose information about patient X-ray results to the patient without running it by the radiologist first.
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