You may think that a radiologic technology degree is designed to allow you to only become accustomed to the equipment that you will be using, but there’s plenty more that you should be aware of when embarking on this popular and potentially lucrative career. If you’re thinking of becoming a radiologic technology degree student, then you’ll need to acquire additional skills such as learning how to work with people professionally and how to efficiently communicate with your colleagues and other health professionals.
Here are 5 things that prospective radiologic technology degree students should be aware of:
1. You’ll need to learn how to interact professionally and confidentially with patients.
Patient care is important. People can become uneasy – particularly as they are likely to feel vulnerable and uneasy when encountering radiology procedures. As a Radiologic Technician, your responsibilities will be to ease any fears they might have so they can relax and allow you to do your job more efficiently.
You’ll be dealing with a wide range of people – from young children to elderly adults of every walk of life. Your radiologic technology degree coursework will involve learning how to clearly communicate the medical imaging procedure to your patients.
2. You’ll learn about the makeup of the human body.
Just as you cannot be a good mechanic without fully understanding the anatomy of an automobile, you cannot be a good radiology technician without fully understanding the anatomy of the human body. That is why the main courses in any respectable radiologic technology degree will include physiology, biology and anatomy.
You’ll learn about the many systems in the human body – the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, and respiratory systems for example. You’ll also learn the names of all the organs and systems and specific details about their functions. Additionally, as the imaging process itself can affect the body, you’ll need to understand the reasons why a patient is being subjected to the radiology process before the procedure begins.
3. You’ll learn how to apply appropriate patient care in real world settings.
Making the leap from an educational environment to one where you’re caring for patients on a daily basis can seem a bit intimidating at first. However, one of the top beneficial aspects of a radiologic technology degree is that you’ll gain the necessary experience that will ease your journey from student to a working professional.
A radiologic technology degree program offered at Florida National University (FNU) will give you all the tools and real-world experience. When you receive your college degree, you’ll be ready to work in any healthcare facility. Our staff members understand that academic knowledge is incredibly important. Equally, hands-on learning is where you’ll quickly gain the experience to enter the working world upon completion of this degree program. The regionally accredited educational institution of FNU can provide these learning tools and experience for you.
4. You’ll learn how to keep yourself and your patients safe.
Radiologic technology uses forms of radiation. As aforementioned, extreme exposure to radiation can have a damaging effect on the human body. It is important to know that radiologic technology is designed to be completely safe if used correctly. It will be your responsibility, as a radiologist to make sure that all procedures are followed correctly and precisely rendering the chances of any type of potential hazardous mishap down to zero.
You’ll learn the basics of radiation safety and the effects that radiation can have on the human body if not handled properly. You’ll also need to be aware of effective techniques when it comes to patient safety, including aspects such as exposure time, safe distance for technology operators and necessary shielding—and of course, all the safety features of the equipment you will be using. It will be your job to ensure a safe environment for both patients and personnel.
5. You’ll understand your ability to meet all the requirements necessary for a patient’s care.
There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach when it comes to caring for patients. You may be caring for a small child, or you may be caring for an elderly patient. How you go about the radiology process will be different dependent on the patient and what part of the body you’ll need to capture an X-ray image of.
Patients come in all shapes and sizes and some might have a disability that you’ll need to know how to handle accordingly. You’ll also need to make quick decisions such as how to position the patient so that you receive the best imagining results as well as how to adjust the settings of the equipment in tandem with what you’re trying to achieve.
Additionally, you may have a number of various physicians who will send their patients to you to capture radiology images. This means that you must be organized and know how to handle patient’s information confidentially. You should also develop the ability to think outside of the box and take a step beyond simple textbook solutions (that are in compliance with healthcare regulations) in order to gain the best results for both physicians and your patients.
Start Earning Your College Degree Today at FNU!
To learn more about the Associate of Science Radiologic Technology Degree from Florida National University, contact one of our academic advisors through online contact form. Ask about taking some of our degree courses online and how we might be able to assist you with financial aid. We look forward to helping you gain the necessary training and expertise to succeed in the radiology industry.
