Medical radiation technologists

NOC

32121

operate x-ray and other radiographic imaging equipment for the diagnosis of injury and disease, or administer radiation therapy for the treatment of disease.

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Full NOC Description

Medical radiation technologists 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.

Main Duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

Radiological technologists

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.

Radiological technologists may specialize in areas such as computerized tomography, angiography, mammography, magnetic resonance imaging, interventional radiology, dosimetry, stereotaxy or brachytherapy.

Nuclear medicine technologists

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

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.

Also Known As

mammography technician
nuclear medicine clinical instructor
nuclear medicine technologist
nuclear medicine technologists supervisor
radiation oncology technologist

radiation therapist

radiation therapy clinical instructor

radiation therapy technologist (RTT)

radiography technologist

radiological technologist

radiotherapy technician

X-ray (radiology) technician

Requirements

Employment Requirements

Completion of a two- to three-year college, hospital or other approved program in diagnostic radiography or magnetic resonance imaging (for radiological technologists and magnetic resonance technologists), nuclear medicine technology (for nuclear medicine technologists) or radiation therapy (for radiation therapists) or A bachelor of health sciences in radiography, nuclear medicine or radiation therapy and A period of supervised practical training are required.

Licensure with a regulatory body is required in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Membership with a provincial association is required in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba.

Certification by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists is required in all provinces except Quebec and British Columbia.

Provincial Regulation

Provincially Regulated: Yes

Regulation Body

New Brunswick Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (NBAMRT)

Employment by Sex

The following graph shows the percentage of men and women working in this occupation in New Brunswick.

Data legend

90.7%

Female

9.3%

Male

Employment by age

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by age group.

Data legend

6.9%

15-24

29.9%

25-34

28.7%

35-44

23.0%

45-54

8.0%

55-64

3.4%

65+

Employment by highest level of education

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick by highest level of education achieved.

Data legend

0.0%

No Certificate, Diploma or Degree

0.0%

High School, Diploma or Equivalent

0.0%

Apprenticeship or Trades Certificate or Diploma

0.0%

College or University Below Bachelor Level

67.8%

University - Bachelor Level or Above

Employment by Industry

The following graph shows the industry groups in which the largest shares of persons working in this occupation in New Brunswick are employed. Small percentages for all top three industry groups may suggest employment for this occupation is widely distributed amongst many industry groups.

Data legend

100.0%

Health care and social assistance

N/A

All Other Industries

Employment by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the breakdown of all persons employed in this occupation in New Brunswick by which economic region they reside in.

Data legend

17.20%

Northeast

40.20%

Southeast

27.60%

Southwest

11.50%

Central

3.40%

Northwest

Economic Regions

The following map displays New Brunswick’s five economic regions. An economic region (ER) is a grouping of counties, created as a standard unit for analysis of regional economic activity across Canada.

Annual Average Salary by Economic Regions

The following graph shows the average salary of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Data legend

$72,000

Northeast

$80,000

Southeast

$78,000

Southwest

$70,000

Central

N/A

Northwest

Economic Regions

Hourly Median Wages by Economic Regions

The following represents the median hourly wage of all persons employed in this occupation in each of New Brunswick’s five economic regions.

Salary

The following shows the average salary of everyone who worked full-time and year-round in this occupation across each of the Atlantic Provinces and nationally.

Employment Outlook

The following represents the number of job openings that are expected to occur in this occupation over the next three and ten years respectively, broken down by openings expected to result from growth (“new jobs”) and openings expected to result from attrition (death and retirements).

Occupational Profiles