Radiation therapists and ultrasound technicians are each Allied Health positions, but they have quite totally different job responsibilities. The radiation technician treats cancer and other diseases that will respond to radiation treatments by way of the delivery of external beam therapy. The sonographer focuses on utilizing ultrasound gear to take pictures of soft tissues and programs for diagnostic purposes. The positions are comparable in that each use refined medical gear, work directly with sufferers, and are employed in quite a lot of medical settings that embrace hospitals, doctor offices and clinics.
What does a Radiation Therapist Do?
Radiology technicians or therapists spend a large part of their time at work performing radiation remedies on sufferers who've cancer. Most states require the therapist to be licensed, and licensing requires certification by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). Essential
neurologist job description duties for radiation therapists include:
Seek the advice of with sufferers, explaining treatments and answering questions
Adright here to safety procedures and shield affected person from all pointless radiation publicity
Assist patients on and off x-ray tables
Take x-rays of patient to determine actual treatment location
Operate medical linear accelerators (LINACS), setting tools to deliver the correct doses of radiation to the correct location on the patient's body
Preserve affected person history, updating records to report therapy details
Consult with radiologist, oncologist, dosimetrist and others physicians and medical staff members
Typically, the radiation procedures are for treating all kinds of cancer and are sometimes part of a therapy regimen that also entails surgical procedure and/or chemotherapy. The professional may go at a hospital, cancer treatment center, clinic, mobile radiology units and different medical facilities.
What does an Ultrasound Technician Do?
The ultrasound technician can be called an ultrasound technologist or Diagnostic Medical Sonographer. The typical job duties are as follows:
Focus on medical history with patients and evaluation and doc current well being points
Document the affected person history and imaging procedures
Operate the ultrasound gear, expertly utilizing controls and settings to obtain the best images for diagnostic functions
Assist the affected person physically get on and off the imaging table and help them position their body so that photos are as very best as potential
Full the sonograms, checking each one for readability and accuracy
Analyze the photographs taken and use critical considering skills and experience to make choices in regards to the need for additional pictures
Ensure photographs are correctly recorded and the procedure documented
Interpret sonographs to perform diagnostic responsibilities
Ensure affected person historical past is updated
Seek the advice of with physicians, nurses and different hospital employees as mandatory
The Diagnostic Medical Sonographer will need to have the data and skills to expertly examine the pictures produced and acknowledge the difference between regular and irregular tissue and systems. Relying on their training and credentials, sonographers normally take pictures of the stomach, breast, musculoskeletal system, female reproductive systems and cardiovascular system.
Is Radiation Therapist Salary Higher Than Ultrasound Technician Wage?
Radiation Therapists earned more than ultrasound technicians as of Could 2012 per the Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational survey. Professionals working in radiation remedy are probably exposed to radiated solutions throughout therapies, so it isn't shocking they are paid more than Diagnostic Medical Sonographers. The Radiation Therapy Technologist earned a median salary of $eighty,410 or $38.sixty six per hour compared to the sonographers common salary of $66,360 per year or $31.ninety per hour. However, there have been considerably more sonographers employed (110,four hundred) compared to radiology technicians (19,one hundred).
How you can Turn out to be a Radiation Therapist vs. Ultrasound Technician?
Radiation therapists can earn an Associates degree or Bachelors degree in radiation therapy by completing radiation therapist programs. There are additionally certificates programs offered mainly at vocational schools, however employers will consider these with degrees before candidates with certificates. Attending ARRT recognized radiation therapist schools acknowledged ensures the students get hold of the perfect information and skills needed to pass the exams for earning the radiation therapist certification. Anybody beginning a program after 2014 ought to note that only those who have earned an Affiliate degree or Bachelor's degree from a training program accredited and recognized by ARRT might be eligible to sit down for the exam for Certification in Radiography.
There's quite a lot of schools and schools offering sonography programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Well being Programs, with many leading to an Associates degree or Bachelors degree. For those who have a degree in an Allied Health program, there are additionally certificates programs that take a year to 18 months to complete. Accredited ultrasound technician programs embody didactic and medical training. Licensing isn't mandatory besides in a couple of states, so the ultrasound technician ought to take the ultrasound technician certification exams offered by American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers after finishing a CAAHEP accredited program. Credentialing is now required by most employers.
