After the completion of an X-ray program, Bay Area students will have the skills to prepare them for state licensing exams. There are several important technical skills that individuals must learn during an X-ray program, because they must be able to prevent radiation exposure with radiation protection devices. Students learn how to use lead shields, or limit the size of the X-ray beam, when they are attending an X-ray program in California; and to position radiographic equipment at the correct angle and height over the correct area of the body.
During the classes that are required to complete the X-ray program, Bay Area students learn to use instruments similar to measuring tape to measure the thickness of the section to be radiographed. X-ray program students learn to set controls on the machines to produce radiographs of the correct density, detail and contrast. After a few years of experience, or after completing an additional X-ray program in California, radiographers may perform more complex imaging procedures. Fluoroscopes, for example, require radiographers to prepare a solution of contrast medium that the patient to drink, allowing specialized physician to see soft tissues in the body to prepare a diagnosis.
Some radiographers decide to complete a more technical X-ray program to become a CT technologist, which involves operating computerized tomography scanners to produce cross sectional images of patients. With the completion of an X-ray program, Bay Area medical professionals can also qualify to operate machines using strong magnets and radio waves rather than radiation to create an image. Radiologists with those skills are called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologists. There are many different types of radiologic technologists, but they must all complete an X-ray program in California, and they must all follow physicians' orders precisely and obey regulations concerning the use of radiation. By passing the state licensing exams and completing a legitimate X-ray program, Bay Area radiologic technologists will be able to protect themselves, their patients and their coworkers from radiation exposure. |
