Radiology Technician Courses and Classes

By being part of an Associate of Applied Science in Radiology Technology Program, a radiology technician class may be taken.  Radiology technicians utilize the aid of x-ray images to diagnose the human body. Technically, they can also be called radiographers.  All that is really needed to officiate this is to seek certification via organizations like the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.

Anatomy and Physiology Course

An anatomy and physiology course is a must for some radiology technician programs because this is where the basics and inner workings of the human body systems are studied, including the musculoskeletal, integumentary, and respiratory systems.  Aspiring radiology technicians will gain basic knowledge about human disorders and disease, pertinent medical terminology, and the names of the bones and muscles.

Patient Care Course

Clients or patients are central to all the actions of the health care team, and the tasks of the radiology technician are no different as they work with patients in performing x-ray and other radiographic procedures each day. A patient care course educates them on how to properly deal with an entire array of patients ranging from children to the elderly. They learn positioning techniques for all kinds of patient conditions and how to interact with them. Subjects on patient confidentiality may be covered as well together with techniques on bedside manners.

Radiographic Quality Course

The prime importance of producing reliable and precise radiographic images cannot be overemphasized with the radiographic quality course.  This is where radiology students learn the procedures for analyzing images accurately and troubleshooting devices and equipment when images come out wrong. Quality control methods are discussed in-depth together with tests for probable human errors or equipment malfunctions.

Radiographic Pathology Course

Pathology is defined as the study of human disorder and disease as it progresses from the causes to the effects. A radiographic pathology course develops the necessary skills to identify and evaluate common disease conditions as seen on radiographic images. The student will be walked through the disease process, radiographic procedures used to diagnose the said diseases, and related terminology and findings for these pathologic abnormalities.

Radiology Techniques and Positioning Course

Because it is a radiology technician’s prime duty to take x-rays of the human body in different areas and angles, a radiology techniques and positioning course teaches students the concepts on how to maneuver and manipulate x-ray machines to capture the correct image. Students are also taught how to properly position a normal, pregnant, immobile, or incapacitated patient for maximum exposure of pertinent areas such as the thoracic and cervical spine, bony thorax, sacrum, cranium, and facial bones.

Radiographic Protection Course

The radiographic protection course, students learn why protecting themselves and others against radiation is of prime importance in the field. They learn about the consequences of unhealthy and detrimental radiation exposure on different areas of the body, and they study how to limit radiation exposure for themselves and others. Ionizing radiation exposure is also taken up, including how to limit this and what to do in the event of overexposure to it.