healthcare careers

Blowing bubbles, reading a story, singing silly songs ... it's all in a day's work for radiologic technologists at Children's Hospitals and Clinics.

These healthcare professionals will do whatever it takes to put their young patients at ease.

Playfulness And Patience

Radiologic technologists take X-rays and administer nonradioactive materials, such as dyes, into patients' bloodstreams for diagnostic purposes. Some technologists specialize in specific fields, such as computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Taking an X-ray of a 3-year-old requires special skill. "Children get scared, and they don't hold still," explains Kat Stone, technical coordinator of diagnostic imaging at Children's Minneapolis campus. Overcoming their fear requires patience, playfulness and the ability to partner with parents and other members of the healthcare team.

Stone and her staff often work with a child life specialist to explain the procedure in a way that children can understand. In addition, the technologist may demonstrate by X-raying a doll or stuffed animal. Because X-rays are now digital, the pictures are available right away, much to the children's delight. "You'd be surprised what we've seen inside stuffed animals," Stone says.

A Family Affair

The technologist also involves parents. "The procedure is less stressful for both parents and children when they can stay together," Stone says. "Parents can help hold the child in the correct position. This is comforting for everyone and makes it easier to take the X-ray."

A successful X-ray is rewarded with a colorful sticker or a small toy. "It's bribery," Stone admits, "but we try to give children something to look forward to when the procedure is done."

In addition to a sense of playfulness, technologists must know how to line up equipment and position patients ranging from tiny newborns to young adults. Technologists must also be aware of differences in children of various ages: For example, bone growth isn't complete until late adolescence. Structural abnormalities and other conditions can also change the picture.

Education And Registration

Radiologic technologists follow many paths into the field. Some attend two-year hospital-based programs, earning a certificate. Others earn an associate degree at a community or technical college. Still others choose four-year programs at colleges and universities, graduating with a bachelor's degree.

All programs provide classroom and clinical instruction in anatomy and physiology, patient care procedures, radiation physics, radiobiology, imaging, pathology, and medical ethics and terminology. Most programs concentrate on adult anatomy and physiology, but many students do rotations in children's hospitals.

To work in a hospital, technologists must graduate from an accredited program, pass the certification exam of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) and be currently registered with ARRT.

Employment Outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not provide specific information on pediatric radiologic technologists. But employment for technologists in general is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012.

According to the American Society of Radiologic Technologists, the average annual salary for technologists was $65,401 in 2004, an increase of 26.5 percent since 2001.