Radiology Technologists

RADIOLOGY TECHNOLOGISTS ARE A KEY PART OF RAD-AID

The week of November 2nd to November 8th of 2008 marks National Radiologic Technology Week® in the United States which recognizes radiology technologists for their enormous contributions to medical care.  We at RAD-AID would like to take this opportunity to honor these individuals who make a great deal of difference in the world’s health care system.
 
What do radiology technologists do? Put simply, radiology technologists are the medical personnel that manage and use the imaging equipment (CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, mammography, fluoroscopy, and plain film ‘x-ray’
radiography) to take the vital pictures that enable physicians to diagnose and treat disease.  Radiologists, on one hand, are medical doctors (MDs) that do the job of interpreting these important pictures while radiology technologists (RTs) do the picture-taking. Sounds easy? No way. It requires technical schooling and training to learn how to take the pictures perfectly so that the patient is safe and the image comes out good enough for the radiologist to read and interpret for diagnosis.  Radiology technologists are the ones at the front line with the patient; working with the patients to get just the right position or help the patient to remain perfectly still for the picture, which requires perseverance, expertise, and compassion.
 
In many places in the world, radiology technologists are hard to find because this technical training is mainly available in developed parts of the world. This lack of access to radiology technologists is a vital reason why radiology services are scarce. Moreover,
the longitudinal training and follow up communications to maintain these technical skills are scarce and limited in many parts of the world. 
 
We at RAD-AID understand the critical role that radiology technologists play in medical imaging and salute these hard-working men and women, without whom, the doctors would be unable to identify and treat disease. RAD-AID’s mission for increasing the availability of world-class medical imaging in other parts of the world includes expanding the vital army of radiology technologists. RAD-AID is also committed to providing resources for ongoing training and communication that strengthens the skills of the technologists.  In honor of National Radiologic Technology Week®, RAD-AID salutes these individuals for their hard work and service.