How Does A Career In Radiography Sound?

It’s not easy to decide what career path you would like to follow. Sometimes it takes a while to find something you are passionate about. That’s why so many students flip-flop between majors or simply go into general studies in college. It’s also why some people tend to bounce around from job to job, going on countless job interviews after they get out of school during their early years in the workforce. All it takes is finding something you have a passion for and enjoy doing like helping others to lead you toward a career rather than a job. Many people have found that in various medical fields, and radiography in particular.

 

Working in the Field of Radiography

In the healthcare industry today, there are many different potential career path that an individual could take, depending on what he likes. One often overlooked career in the medical field is radiography. What exactly is radiography, and why should you consider getting involved in it?

What Radiographers Do

A radiographer uses X-ray technology to look inside the human body and take images. This position is also sometimes referred to as radiology or an X-ray technician. When you work in this field, you will follow the specific orders of the doctor in order to come up with images from a certain part of the body. You’ll guide the patient into the proper position and use the latest safety standards to ensure that the patient is taken care of at all times.

In addition to taking images, you will also need to inspect and maintain the imaging equipment. You will also need to be able to work with patient records and work on the medical software provided by your hospital.

Rapid Growth in the Radiography Field

If you are looking for a career that has a lot of future growth potential, this is it. The healthcare industry is growing rapidly, and it will only get bigger in the future. As the baby boomer generation gets older, more of them are going to need healthcare.

With the recent Affordable Healthcare Act, it will throw millions of more people into the healthcare system, who weren’t there previously. This means that there will be a greater demand for healthcare professionals and people to work in the radiography field than ever before.

Getting Educated as a Radiographer

If you are interested in getting into the field of radiography, you’ll need to complete the proper medical training first. You’ll have to go through college and a radiography program. You can check out an example of this type of program at www.sanfordbrown.edu. 

Considerations

Overall, this is one of the most attractive jobs in all of the healthcare industry. It pays well, and it doesn’t take you 12 years of college to be able to get started working. It can also be very rewarding because you get to work with patients on a daily basis and help them figure out what is causing their ailments. Plus, the expected demand for workers is growing at a faster than average rate over the next decade which is always a positive sign in any kind of career.

Bonus

They even make cool clothing and accessories to show off your pride in your profession!

About Eric J. Nisall

Former NY'er, accountant & business consultant, founder of GreenBridge Advisors. Blogging about personal financial, small business topics, and other fun topics at DollarVersity. Fan of the NHL and everything hockey! Follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and on Google+

  • http://www.moneylifeandmore.com/ Lance@MoneyLife&More

    I have a friend that does this and he seems to like his job pretty well. The nice thing with a medical job is that they are usually highly mobile if you don’t like being stuck in one place.

  • http://www.familymoneyvalues.com/ Marie at Family Money Values

    Lets go!  Sounds good.  This kind of analysis is exactly what I did back in the 80′s when I went back to school.  I ended up as a mainframe programmer back then and it treated me well!

  • http://twitter.com/familymoneyblog John Preston

    The only trouble with this career path is that there is a lot of interest. I’ve had friends that have struggled with completing programs because of competition.

  • http://www.narrowbridge.net Eric

    That is great income for a job that doesn’t require a 4 year degree. Could make sense for a lot of people.

  • http://www.springcoin.com/blog Kevin @ SpringCoin

    I wonder how tough it is to land one of these jobs?  Like John Preston said in a previous comment, seems like there would be a lot of demand for this.  

  • http://www.bluepelicanloans.com/blog/ Veronica @ Pelican on Money

    When I was going to school, anyone and everyone I knew seemed to be into this field. I’m just as curious as Kevin about the actual ability of someone to land a job. To me it always seemed like an easy money maker for community schools rather than helping students find employment. 

  • http://twitter.com/financialsamura Financial Samurai

    Yo roomie! Great to meet up! Shoot me an e-mail with how much I owe for the hotel room when you get a chance!

    Best, Sam

    • http://financeproductreviews.com/ FPR

       Oh so Sam haven’t aid you? Too frugal :)

  • http://twitter.com/thefrugaltoad thefrugaltoad

    Wow, I’m definitely underpaid for having 7 years of college under my belt!  This could be a great option for someone not able or willing to go the 4+ year route.

  • http://www.northwesterncollege.edu/ James Shaw

    I think it is amazing that the healthcare industry is giving rise to new sub-specialties. Very informative article, thanks for sharing.