X-Ray Technicians play a vital role in the diagnostic aspect of health care. An X-Ray Technician is a trained health care worker with specific skills in the operation of x-ray equipment, positioning patients, and taking pictures of the inside of the human body so that conditions, diseases, or injury can be visualized and diagnosed. X-Ray Technicians can expect a variety of work circumstances and must be able to work well with people under stress. Some patients may be uncooperative or unable to sit, stand, or lie in certain positions due to illness, injury, or pain. The X-Ray Technician's job is to keep the patient calm and cooperative in order to get the best quality image. One way of looking at X-Ray Tech jobs is to visualize their role as the one who takes pictures of problems in the human body so that the doctor, dentist, or radiologist can then begin to solve those problems. The more skilled you are at getting high quality images, the more accurately the physician can diagnose the problem.
Working with x-ray technology is often described as both an art and a science. When the X-Ray Tech performs the procedure, the rays are transmitted through the area of the body being examined and an "impression" or radiograph is left on a screen. On the screen, you can view bones, tissues, and organs in either standard x-ray film or more recently, by using digital technology. The solid and dense portions will appear whiter and the softer tissues will be more of a gray color. The softer tissues don't create as much imaging resistance, which is why their color appears less white. If a bone is broken, there will be an abnormality in the form and there may be a break in the white coloration, which will help to confirm that a bone is broken.
X-Ray jobs take place in hospitals, doctor's offices, radiology clinics, dental offices and even convalescent homes. Some go on to learn other aspects of radiology careers and imaging techniques such as ultrasound jobs, magnectic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (Cat scans or CT scans). The possiblities are wide open and the demand is great, and there are many x-ray schools to choose from. The next time you twist your ankle, you better get yourself a good X-Ray Tech to take a picture of it to see if it's sprained or broken.
