Duties of MRI Techs After Enrolling in Advanced MRI Programs

Becoming an MRI tech isn’t as simple as taking MRI programs and operating an imaging machine. MRI technologists and technicians have many other duties that make them essential parts of the healthcare system.

While doing well in MRI programs and other forms of training is integral, being fully aware of one’s duties as an MRI tech can make a huge difference. It’s one thing to be prepared academically and another to do well at your job.

As an MRI tech, it makes sense that one of your main duties is to maintain and take care of MRIs. MRIs are your responsibility and are very important, considering their cost. Using them properly and expertly can help preserve them and decrease the need for maintenance, repairs, and replacement.

Following orders from doctors is another primary part of your job. Patients will come in with various illnesses, and it’ll be up to you to get the scans that help doctors diagnose. MRIs are rarely used for full-body scans. You’ll receive instructions from the doctor on which body parts need to be scanned. It is then up to you to follow these instructions and get quality images that are useful to the rest of the patient’s healthcare team.

Getting the best image possible isn’t all about operating the MRI. You need to position the patient properly with the equipment for high-quality images, or else there’s a risk of interference. Special preparations might need to be made, like removing all metal items and objects from a patient’s clothes.

Before the image, there’s some patient interaction too. This is one thing that makes being an MRI tech a fun job. Interacting with patients is satisfying and feels like making a difference. Patients are often scared of MRIs. It’ll be your job to talk to them, explaining what’s going to happen and calming them down.

Any questions they have about getting an MRI will be yours to answer. You will also be required to take a brief medical history. After interacting with the patient, you’ll need to shield and cover exposed areas that don’t need to be imaged.

Now that everything is ready and prepared, you’ll operate the MRI machine to capture the necessary images. Once the images are captured, you will work with doctors to analyze them and see if they’re sufficient or if more images are required.

Don’t forget about keeping patient records too. If a patient gets an MRI, the images need to be put into their record so that physicians can look back at them later on if they need to.

Becoming an MRI tech isn’t easy. You need to take MRI programs, pass exams, and acquire experience. Once all of these are over, you can start working. Keep in mind your duties and responsibilities, so you can use them to prepare for the job and be good at it.