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RESEARCH PRODUCT

[I062] The roles of radiographers in medical imaging and radiotherapy in Europe

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Very fast development of technologies in medical imaging and therapy has changed the role of radiographer in Europe. Over the past ten years education and necessary skills and competencies for radiographers has become more similar in most EU countries due to input of EFRS Educational Wing, but there are still rather significant differences in the roles of radiographers between countries. Role expansion is often initiated by external and internal factors that lead to advanced practice for radiographers. However, there is also a limiting factor that functions as a barrier for development of radiographer’s role and mainly that is connected to resistance when radiologists/medical physicists object to image interpretation or performance of particular methods or procedures like ultrasound and radiotherapy treatment planning, or when the required education and training to support such roles is not available. This presentation aims to highlight the current status of radiographers in Europe with a particular focus on opportunities in medical imaging and radiotherapy related to quality control and radiation protection.