Health and Life Sciences

Radiology is a science involving the medical use of X-rays in the diagnosis of disease. A radiologist is a physician specializing in this science, and a radiographer (or radiologic technologist) produces radiographic images under the direction of the radiologist. Radiographers make up the largest group of imaging professionals. Their principal duties consist of performing diagnostic X-ray procedures of patients with the lowest amount of radiation exposure possible. They also assist in fluoroscopic examinations and in special radiographic procedures. Other tasks performed by radiographers vary. Radiographers must be able to handle seriously ill and injured patients to obtain the maximum amount of information without injury to the patient and with the least amount of pain and discomfort from the examination. They may assist the radiologist in some complex procedures, often involving the injection of opaque media through needles or catheters. Radiographers must be well educated and experienced in aseptic techniques, requiring skills comparable to those of nurses in some specialties. Most technologists are employed in hospitals, clinics, and physicians' offices.
NOTE: If students want to pursue a bachelor's degree, they may apply to the Medical Imaging Technology Program in their second year of the Radiography Program and should complete the required prerequisite courses during their first year alongside the radiography prerequisite courses.

Respiratory therapists help people who suffer from chronic respiratory diseases like asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema. They work with people of all ages—from babies to the elderly—to help them breathe more easily, whether they have sleep disorders or have had heart attacks recently. Respiratory therapists can provide emergency care to patients suffering from heart attacks, drowning, or shock. They must cultivate many different skills to develop and to implement effective care plans, protocols, and disease management programs; they have to be quick and critical thinkers, knowledgeable about health conditions and procedures, and kind and thoughtful practitioners. Advanced-level therapists participate in clinical decision making and patient education, the development and implementation of protocols and treatment plans, health promotion, disease prevention, and disease management. Respiratory therapists work as part of the medical team under the supervision of a physician, but they exercise considerable independent judgment in providing respiratory therapy to patients.