32121 Medical radiation technologists

What this occupation covers

Medical radiation technologists operate radiographic and radiation therapy equipment to administer radiation treatment and produce images of body structures for the diagnosis and treatment of injury and disease. They are employed in hospitals, cancer treatment centres, clinics, radiological laboratories, colleges and universities. Medical radiation technologists who are supervisors or instructors are included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 22 main duties for this code.

• Operate X-ray, radiographic and fluoroscopic equipment, computerized tomography (CT) scanners, mammography units and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners to produce radiographs or anatomic images of the human body for the diagnosis by radiologists of disease or injury
• Record and process patient data
• Perform basic verification and quality control checks on radiographic and film processing equipment
• Provide appropriate care and monitoring of the patient during the radiographic examination
• Explain procedures, position patient and equipment and apply radiation protection measures
• May train and supervise student radiographers or supervise other radiological technologists.
• Radiological technologists may specialize in areas such as computerized tomography, angiography, mammography, magnetic resonance imaging, interventional radiology, dosimetry, stereotaxy or brachytherapy.
• Prepare and administer radiopharmaceuticals, such as radionuclides and other tracer materials to patients or to biological samples
• Operate radiation detection equipment, such as gamma cameras, scanners, scintillation counters, tomodensitometers and ionization chambers, to acquire data for use by nuclear medicine physicians in the diagnosis of disease
• Perform diagnostic procedures using radioactive materials on biological specimens, such as blood, urine and faeces
• Record and process results of procedures
• Check equipment to ensure proper operation
• Provide appropriate care and monitoring of the patient during the examination
• Apply radiation protection measures
• May train and supervise student nuclear medicine technologists or supervise other nuclear medicine technologists.
• Operate linear accelerators, cobalt 60, X-ray and other radiation therapy equipment to administer radiation treatment prescribed by radiation oncologists
• Check radiation therapy equipment to ensure proper operation
• Assist radiation oncologists and clinical physicists with preparation of radiation treatment plan
• Assist in the preparation of sealed radioactive materials such as cobalt, radium, cesium and isotopes and the construction of devices such as plaster casts and acrylic moulds to assist with administration of radiation treatment
• Provide appropriate care and monitoring of the patient's physical and psychological well-being during the entire course of treatment
• Explain procedures and side effects of radiation
• May train and supervise student radiotherapy technologists or supervise other radiotherapy technologists.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 4 of its 22 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 32104 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
• 32123 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
• 32120 Medical laboratory technologists
• 32122 Medical sonographers
• 32129 Other medical technologists and technicians
• 32124 Pharmacy technicians
• 32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists

Excluded from this code

• Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians (See 32104 Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians)
• Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists (See 32123 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists)
• Medical laboratory technologists (See 32120 Medical laboratory technologists)
• Medical sonographers (See 32122 Medical sonographers)
• Other medical technologists and technicians (See 32129 Other medical technologists and technicians)
• Pharmacy technicians (See 32124 Pharmacy technicians)
• Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists (See 32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

brachytherapy technologist · chief radiographer · chief radiotherapy technologist · diagnostic imaging technologist · diagnostic medical radiation technologist · diagnostic radiography technologist · diagnostic radiological technician · diagnostic radiological technologist · diagnostic radiology technologist · dosimetrist · magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologist · magnetic resonance technologist · mammography technician · mammography technologist · medical imaging technologist - nuclear medicine · medical imaging technologist - radiodiagnosis · medical radiation technologist · medical radiation technologist - Canadian Armed Forces · medical radiation technologists supervisor · medical radiographer · nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI) technologist · nuclear medicine chief technologist · nuclear medicine clinical coordinator · nuclear medicine clinical instructor

Employment requirements

• Completion of a two- to three-year college, hospital or other approved program in diagnostic radiography or magnetic resonance imaging (for radiological technologists and magnetic resonance technologists), nuclear medicine technology (for nuclear medicine technologists) or radiation therapy (for radiation therapists) or A bachelor of health sciences in radiography, nuclear medicine or radiation therapy and A period of supervised practical training are required.
• Licensure with a regulatory body is required in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
• Membership with a provincial association is required in Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba.
• Certification by the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists is required in all provinces except Quebec and British Columbia.