Radiological Technology

Course characteristics

The bachelor's degree course in Radiological Technology focuses on medical tools using ionizing radiation for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Like the degree course in Radiological Physics, the Radiological Technology course consist of three subject areas: radiodiagnostics, nuclear medicine, and radiotherapy.

The radiological technologist's main concern in health care is radiation protection in performing routine programme procedures (including mainly dosimetric measurements) and especially in assisting the radiological physicists. In practice, this means performing operation stability tests, or long-term stability tests of medical instruments using ionizing radiation, preparation of local radiological standards, determination of local diagnostic reference levels, participation in and introduction of new diagnostic methods, calculations of doses received by patients, etc.

Graduate's profile

Knowledge: Great emphasis is placed on mastering the know-how for using ionizing radiation for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes and their parameters. Due to the orientation of this field towards health care, the graduate will have learned the essentials of several medical disciplines such as anatomy, physiology, human body biology, biochemistry, and pharmacology. When working on the bachelor´s project, the students come into direct contact with staff members of outstanding institutions relevant to the field and are acquainted with the latest developments. Part of the degree course is also principles of legislation related to radiation protection and handling ionizing radiation sources in health care.

Competency: Within this field the graduates are prepared for direct application for the position of radiological technologist at departments of radiodiagnostics, nuclear medicine and radiation therapy or at departments of medical physics or radiation protection in hospitals. Due to their knowledge of the physical principles of radiation protection and its related legislative frame students can find jobs at workplaces focusing on nuclear safety and radiation protection.

The graduates are professionally competent to perform medical employment of radiological technologist as described by Act No. 96/2004 Coll. (§21). The degree course provides training in nuclear physics, physics of ionizing radiation, detection and dosimetry of ionizing radiation focused on health care. As part of the course, the graduate will become familiar with the use of ionizing radiation for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in the health care sector. They will also have an overview of the principles, in terms of both their physics and technology, of modern imaging techniques in medicine and advanced radiotherapy using radionuclides, radionuclide irradiators, linear accelerators and other special radiotherapy equipment.

State final examination

• Radiological technology - compulsory subject
• Introduction to radiation physics - elective subject
• Detectors - elective subject
• Radiation protection - elective subject