Imaging that guides the diagnosis

A trained and licensed radiation worker who practises Diagnostic Radiography, specialising in a wide range of imaging equipment and technique to provide high quality imaging services that aid the diagnosis of a disease or injury.

Diagnostic Radiographers work across the different departments of a hospital, including the accident and emergency department, the operating theatre and the intensive care units.

Precision treatment, planned and delivered

A trained and licensed radiation worker who practises Radiation Therapy or Radiotherapy, specialising in the planning and delivery of accurate radiotherapy treatments using a wide range of ionising-radiation producing equipment.

Radiation Therapists play an important role in administering, documenting and monitoring the patient's prescribed course of treatment.

Radiation in medical imaging

Radiation doses used in medical imaging have low probabilities of damaging cells within the body.

To ensure the public is not exposed unnecessarily, imaging involving radiation is performed only when the medical benefits far outweigh the risk to the patient. Radiographers also practise the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle, whose chief aim is to produce a diagnostic image with the least amount of radiation.

Radiation in therapy

The doses used in therapy are much higher than in diagnostic tests, because the aim is to destroy cancer cells within the body. During treatment, the area receiving the maximum dose is very carefully shaped to minimise exposure to the healthy tissue surrounding the cancer, so that as much healthy tissue as possible is preserved.

Facts about radiation

Radiation is everywhere. It is emitted from the sun, from radon in the ground and from old building materials. Even bananas are radioactive, thanks to their high potassium content. Radiation exposure accumulates in the body, but our cells constantly try to repair and regenerate themselves.