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Who will perform my exam?
A Registered Radiologic Technologist with special training in x-ray procedures and equipment will perform your exam. In some cases, one of our doctors (Radiologists) will perform the exam.
Who Are Radiologic Technologists?
Radiologic technologists are the medical personnel who perform diagnostic imaging
examinations and administer radiation therapy treatments. They are educated in anatomy, patient positioning, examination techniques, equipment protocols, radiation safety, radiation protection and basic patient care. They may specialize in a specific imaging technique, such as bone densitometry, cardiovascular-interventional technology, computed tomography, mammography, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear medicine, quality management, sonography or general radiography.
The radiologic technologists who specialize in radiation therapy, which is the delivery of high doses of radiation to treat cancer and other diseases, are radiation therapists and medical dosimetrists.
When you are scheduled for a medical imaging examination or radiation therapy treatment, make sure the person responsible for your care is a registered radiologic technologist. Registered radiologic technologists must complete at least two years of formal education in an accredited hospital-based program or a two- or four-year educational program at an academic institution and must pass a national certification examination. To remain registered, they must earn continuing education credits.
Radiologic Technologists on the Medical Imaging Team
Radiologic technologists who perform imaging examinations are responsible for accurately positioning patients and ensuring that a quality diagnostic image is produced. They work closely with radiologists, the physicians who interpret medical images to either diagnose or rule out disease or injury. For the images to be interpreted correctly by the radiologist, the imaging examination must be performed properly by a radiologic technologist
Who Are Radiologists?
Radiologists are physicians who earn a four-year doctoral degree to become an M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy). They then complete a four-year residency in diagnostic radiology or radiation oncology. More than 90 percent of radiologists go on to become certified by the American Board of Radiology, indicating
that they have passed a standardized national examination in radiology. At Associated Radiologists, ALL of our radiologists are Board Certified.
Diagnostic radiologists specialize in the interpretation of medical images such as MR scans, CT scans, radiographs, nuclear medicine scans, mammograms and sonograms. They are specially trained to identify injury and disease in each of the body’s systems, whether bone, tissue, organs or blood vessels. Radiologists may specialize in fields such as neuroradiology, angiography, cardiovascular-interventional radiology, pediatric radiology or nuclear medicine.
Radiation oncologists are radiologists who specialize in the treatment of cancer. They consult with each patient and the patient’s primary care physician to determine the best course of therapy and plan a treatment schedule. Then, they work with a medical dosimetrist to calculate how much radiation will be delivered. The radiation therapist is the medical professional who carries out the treatment plan by delivering targeted radiation to the tumor site.
Interventional radiologists are radiologists who perform nonsurgical treatments for a number of medical conditions, most commonly vascular disease. Examples of these treatments include angioplasty, thrombolysis, atherectomy, embolization of bleeding vessels and occlusion of brain aneurysms. Interventional radiologists perform these procedures under the guidance of x-rays, magnetic resonance or other imaging methods.
Medical imaging examinations are performed to:
Reveal the condition of bone, soft tissue, organs or vessels.
The information provided by medical imaging examinations makes accurate diagnosis possible. More than 300 million radiologic procedures are performed every year in the United States, and seven out of 10 Americans undergo some type of medical imaging exam annually.