Radiology Training

Radiology training differs, depending on the specialty or function. Radiologists are specialists who make informed diagnosis of ailments or diseases using medical imaging technologies such as x-rays, CAT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds. They can either provide expert opinions to a doctor, or treat diseases using radiation or interventional radiological surgery. Radiologists may specialize in certain areas of radiology such as cardiovascular radiology, breast imaging or nuclear medicine.

Radiologist training is very specialized. Radiologists are licensed doctors; after the mandatory medical training and internship, they have to fulfill a stipulated period of radiology residency training. The radiologist is also required to be certified by the American Board of Radiology.

Radiologic technologists are also known as radiologic technicians, whereas Radiologist assistants (RA) are advanced level radiologist technologists. Radiologic technologists and radiologist assistants perform preparatory and technical part of the medical imaging process. They ensure that the proper preparation and positioning of the patient for the radiography process, as well as for the development of the medical images for the radiologist diagnosis.

Radiologist assistant training and radiologic technologist training is available in colleges, universities as wells as hospitals. The training programs range from 1 to 4 years. Radiologist assistant training programs usually lead to a bachelor degree, while radiologic technologists require an associate degree. The training programs provide a mix of classroom knowledge with clinical hands-on training.

Certification in the US is carried out by the ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists). After the training, the students are required to go through the ARRT exams. Once certified, they carry the titles of either RT (radiologic technologist) or RA (radiologist assistant).

Online radiology training programs are available. The online programs in radiological sciences provide students with tutoring from imaging and radiology experts as well as access to discussion and guidance forums. These programs lead to either an associate or bachelor degree, and also prepare the students for the ARRT exams as well.