X-ray technicians are increasingly in high demand in hospitals, dental and medical practices, and diagnostic imaging centers. And they are an important member of the overall patient diagnostic team and they work along with radiologist, nurses, and doctors to take the x-rays which are utilized to help perform a diagnosis of the patient’s health issues. Most of us have had an x-ray at some point in our lives, or at least have taken a friend or family to the dreaded x-ray machine to see if a bone has been broken.
The people who are operating those x-ray machines are technicians who have received the skills and training to be able to operate those machines effectively and to provide a diagnosis of any potential problems.
So before you can stand in front of those huge x-ray machines and push the buttons there is a significant amount of work and education that has to take place first. Here is a basic overview of the x-ray technician requirements that you will need to follow if you are considering a career as an x-ray tech:
- You will need to have successfully completed a high school education including taking courses such as mathematics, anatomy, biology, and other sciences.
- Following high school, you will need to take, at minimum, a two year associate degree program.
- This program will include certain components including classroom studies of applied sciences and other courses such as physiology, anatomy, psychology, functions of the body, physics, medical terminology, writing and other liberal sciences.
- There will also be professional course work and clinical instruction.
- Once you have graduated from the x-ray technician training course, then you will need to take the certification exam.
- You can apply for this certification program in your own state or through a national organization such as the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.
- This certification exam will go over a wide variety of topics that you were trained in including radiology procedures, equipments, caring for patients and others.
- You will need to re-qualify by taking the re-certification exam every two years.
- Of course, when it comes to finding a job, if you have any experience that will tend to put you closer to the top of the list. So internships or volunteering are good ways to start out.
Once you have completed all the x-ray technician requirements, you will be able to look forward to a very exciting job in a variety of places. You will be working closely with the patients helping them to understand the procedure and ensuring that they are at ease with the process.
You will need to be prepared to answer a lot of questions and also preparing the patient for the actual x-ray procedure. You will need to remove jewelry or other items as well, ensuring that the patient is in the exact right position in order for the x-ray to be effective.
There are of course other precautions that need to be taken for the patient and yourself when dealing with x-ray machines, so knowing all the safety requirements is also important. No unnecessary exposure to radiation is warranted, so all procedures must be handled correctly.
A job as an x-ray technician can be very rewarding and lead into other opportunities in the medical field. So why not look more into the x-ray technician requirements and decide if this is the right move for you?