Surgical Technology and Radiologic Technology Are About More Than Technology
It's one thing to want to be a surgeon and it's quite another to want to work in the Operating Room.
Reading through the list of jobs here at MedicalJobs.org Surgical Technologist and Radiologic Technologist don't just jump right off the page at you. Well, there's some reasons for that:
1. We think the Doctors do all this stuff. 2. We don't know who another person would be able to help do this stuff. 3. The names of the professions sound a little weird (admit it, they do.)
Where the Surgical Technologist fits into the Operating Room is the small space between the Nurses, Doctors and the Anesthesiologist. Surgical Technologists are responsible for doing all the little things that every other person in the room just can't do because they have other responsibilities.
Perhaps the patient has an extensive chart or medical history and the Doctor needs to hear it right there on the spot. You'll be reading it. Perhaps the Doctor needs more tools. When they say "#14 Scalpel" the person handing them that scalpel might well be a Surgical Technologist.
Surgical Technologists fill in the gaps, spackle the holes, and make sure everyone else in the room has what they need.
Radiologic Technology is a field that is entirely different from Surgical Technology even though it has the same name. Radiologic Technology is the application of medical knowledge is using that big X-Ray/CAT Scan/MRI machines that all of us have either seen or been scanned on before.
The typical portrayal of this procedure is the Doctor just coming in and taking over the scanning or X-raying process, but we need Technologists for a reason. There has to be a designated professional on hand at all times to make sure someone who know how to use the machine is using the machine. Because these pieces of equipment are very large and very expensive then there needs to be an "expert" attached to that machine at all times.
This means you would be the "CAT Scan Expert" in the hospital or clinic where you work. This also means that the Doctors and Nurses in the hospital or clinic are trusting you with the use and reading of the scans that they need. Many Doctors and Nurses consult Radiologic Technologists one what sorts of things they see in the scans and x-rays that are produced and THAT'S why someone's got to be with the machine at all times. The Doctors need you!
As you can imagine these jobs carry a great deal of responsibility, but they are necessary. I wish I could change the names of the jobs to make them sound more attractive, but such is life. Jump and gain the trust of the medical professionals around you and you'll soar in your near career as a Surgical Technologist and/or a Radiologic Technologist.
