Radiology and radiography can be considered as two sides of the same coin because both are quite interrelated. Without radiography, radiology can’t be done, and without radiology, radiography is useless but what exactly do these terms mean? Is the professional who does those CT scans or X-rays or MRI, a radiologist or a radiographer?
A radiographer, also known as a radiologic technician is an allied healthcare care professional who does the imaging work of internal organs using machines like CT scans, MRIs, X-rays, etc., and the images are then sent to the radiologists for diagnosis and treatment of the underlying disease if any.
Main Differences Between Radiology and Radiography
- The professionals who are specialized in radiography are known as radiographists or radiologic technologists or radiologic technicians while those specialized in radiology are known as radiologists.
- A radiographist does all the imaging work through ultrasound or electromagnetic radiation while the primary function of a radiologist is to examine and interpret the images and treat the patient accordingly. A radiologist doesn’t generally do imaging work.
- Attending medical school is compulsory to become a radiologist while it is not required if you want to become a radiographist.
- To become a radiologist, one has to attend med school after college and then specialize in radiology while to become a radiographer, one has to take a bachelor’s degree from a university after high school. He/she may even opt for higher degrees to become an expert in this field.
- Radiologists are qualified doctors or fully licensed physicians while radiographers are allied healthcare professionals and not doctors.
Conclusion
The terms radiology and radiography seem quite similar and it’s obvious to get confused between the two. Radiology is the branch of medicine in which diseases are diagnosed and treated based on the results of radiography. Radiography is the technology of producing scanned images of internal body organs through ultrasound or electromagnetic radiation. These images help the radiologists to diagnose and treat any disease that may be present.
A radiologist, like any other physician (cardiologist or endocrinologist, or gynecologist), is a well-qualified doctor having specialized in the field. To become a radiologist, one has to go to med school after high school and then specialize in radiology. On the other hand, a radiographer is a technician who is skilled in using machines like X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, etc. To become a radiographer, one can simply take a bachelor’s degree in a university after high school and can even pursue a master’s degree or a higher degree after that.
References
- https://www.dbc.wroc.pl/Content/3786/14a-soz.pdf
- https://jdmfs.org/index.php/jdmfs/article/view/6
- http://www.mys1cloud.com/cct/ebooks/978039804669.pdf