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The Role of the Radiologic Technologist
It is clear that medical imaging is integral to health care, and scrutiny of imaging examinations is on the minds of policymakers and the general public.2 To some extent, media reports have produced a degree of fear and anxiety among patients regarding the relationship between medical imaging examinations and cancer. Radiologic technologists often are the health care providers who must deal with the results of media information — or misinformation — and help alleviate patients’ concerns.
Radiologic technologists continue to conduct all examinations with concern for patient dose and follow-ing ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principles to balance dose and image quality. At times, they do so under the challenges addressed in this paper, such as tighter staffing ratios and declining opportunities for communication with radiologists. It is critical to health care administrators and medical imaging managers to recognize that the radiologic technologist usually is the first and often the only health care staff member who interacts with patients having medi-cal imaging examinations.2 The technologist is charged with producing a quality image with the lowest possible patient exposure, under the oversight of the radiologist. In addition, the technologist often is the only health care professional who might recognize that an ordering physician has requested an examination that duplicates one the patient recently has undergone or is questionable in terms of indication or appropriateness. Because of the technologist’s critical role, the ACR has encouraged that radiology practices support regularly scheduled in-service education on radiation safety for technologists and phase in requirements that at least one technologist per site hold advanced certification in the modalities offered by the site. Certification standards are the purview of the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography, American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, Cardiovascular Credentialing International and the Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board. These certification agencies are governed by independent boards made up of physician and technologist representatives. All of these certification agencies also establish rules and regulations, ethics standards and continuing education requirements for renewing registration.
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