Archive - Medical Radiation Technologists (NOC 3215)

Published: 2 October 2014
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If you are interested in working as a Medical Radiation Technologist in Canada, you will be pleased to know that the job outlook for your occupation in Canada is extremely positive.

You can use this overview of the Canadian employment prospects in your field to start planning your immigration and settlement in Canada.

medical-radiation-technologist

Important statistics for this occupation:

  • Canada is in need of health workers across the country, as demand for health services is growing faster than the labour market can meet.
  • Approximately 7% of workers in these fields are immigrants.
  • 84% of workers in these fields work in hospitals, 5% in medical and diagnostic laboratories, and 5% in private offices.
  • Women hold 82% of jobs in these fields.
  • Membership in a professional order is generally required for these professions.
  • In Ontario, workers in these fields make on average $76,000 a year.

Duties for Medical Radiation Technologists

This unit group includes technologists who operate radiographic and radiation therapy equipment to administer radiation treatment and produce images of body structures for the diagnosis and treatment of injury and disease. They are employed in hospitals, cancer treatment centres, clinics, radiological laboratories, colleges and universities. Medical radiation technologists who are supervisors or instructors are included in this unit group.

Description of Job Duties

Radiological technologists perform some or all of the following duties:

  • Operate X-ray, radiographic and fluoroscopic equipment, computerized tomography (CT) scanners, mammography units and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners to produce radiographs or anatomic images of the human body for the diagnosis by radiologists of disease or injury
  • Record and process patient data
  • Perform basic verification and quality control checks on radiographic and film processing equipment
  • Provide appropriate care and monitoring of the patient during the radiographic examination
  • Explain procedures, position patient and equipment and apply radiation protection measures
  • May train and supervise student radiographers or supervise other radiological technologists.
  • Nuclear medicine technologists perform some or all of the following duties:
  • Prepare and administer radiopharmaceuticals, such as radionuclides and other tracer materials to patients or to biological samples
  • Operate radiation detection equipment, such as gamma cameras, scanners, scintillation counters, tomodensitometers and ionization chambers, to acquire data for use by nuclear medicine physicians in the diagnosis of disease
  • Perform diagnostic procedures using radioactive materials on biological specimens, such as blood, urine and faeces
  • Record and process results of procedures
  • Check equipment to ensure proper operation
  • Provide appropriate care and monitoring of the patient during the examination
  • Apply radiation protection measures
  • May train and supervise student nuclear medicine technologists or supervise other nuclear medicine technologists.

Radiation therapists perform some or all of the following duties:

  • Operate linear accelerators, cobalt 60, X-ray and other radiation therapy equipment to administer radiation treatment prescribed by radiation oncologists
  • Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation
  • Assist radiation oncologists and clinical physicists with preparation of radiation treatment plan
  • Assist in the preparation of sealed radioactive materials such as cobalt, radium, cesium and isotopes and the construction of devices such as plaster casts and acrylic moulds to assist with administration of radiation treatment
  • Provide appropriate care and monitoring of the patient's physical and psychological well-being during the entire course of treatment
  • Explain procedures and side effects of radiation
  • May train and supervise student radiotherapy technologists or supervise other radiotherapy technologists.

Example job titles for Medical Radiation Technologists:

  • Clinical instructor, radiation therapy
  • Mammography technician
  • Nuclear medicine technologist
  • Radiation oncology technologist
  • Radiation therapist
  • Radiation therapy technologist (RTT)
  • Radiological technologist
  • Radiotherapy technician
  • Supervisor, nuclear medicine technologists
  • X-ray technician

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