If you think radiography sounds a little boring, you are most definitely mistaken. Of course it requires a few pre-existing tendencies and a little bit of forward thinking when it comes to your career choices, however a career in radiography can be captivating, varied and super rewarding. Here’s why.
What does radiography entail?
Being a radiographer can mean a number of things, but almost definitely, you’ll be using various techniques such as X-ray, ultrasound, Fluoroscopy, CT scans and more, to see inside patients bodies. They may then also be involved in the analysis and interpretation the results in order to diagnose and device treatment plans for injuries, pains and illnesses.
A radiographer gets to meet all kinds of people from different walks of life and of different ages and plays a role in helping them to get better. A patient who is unsure of what is going on inside their body may be anxious or uncomfortable, so good people skills are essential for this role.
Radiography has plenty of room for specialisation where you may focus on using a certain type of technology or on certain conditions, for example you might specialise in obstetric ultrasounds for pregnant women, or bone fracture X-rays.
A separate branch of radiography involves caring for and treating cancer patients using radiotherapy. Again, this requires tact and can be quite emotionally intense, but is a laudable path that can also be wonderfully fulfilling.
While specialising within the radiography field can mean delving deeper into an area that inspires you and becoming an authority on the subject, however maintaining greater variety in a role such as diagnostic radiography can be equally incising. Specialisation in one area often puts you in a different pay band, but so does acquisition of experience. Salaries generally range from £28,000 to £72,000.
Planning your career
Leading up to a career in healthcare can mean making lots of similar choices, which means you don’t have to distinguish which field you want to focus on right from the start and have more time to decide what really suits you. All the way up to degree level, many of the subjects are transferable between healthcare fields as long as you include a science at each qualification level.
At degree level its time to identify your path, which depending on your institution, will be a variant of radiography. You should aim to take on placements as soon as and wherever possible so that you have plenty of hands on experience before launching into your professional career. Opportunities always arise to take further training or become more specialised, whether it’s to learn necessary new skills for your role or to hit a higher pay band.
When it comes to securing a job, it will be much easier with solid experience behind you. If you are seeking radiography jobs in the UK, its best to use an expert healthcare recruitment service such as Maxxima.
No matter which branch you go down, peeking inside the human body is a privilege reserved for few, so be ready to take on one of the most engaging career paths out there.