Few years ago, Radiography was one of the most underated course in Nigeria until recently when people got to know it’s importance and lucrativity.
Radiography is a medical course offered by few universities that runs for five years as a degree programme.
One of the reason people opt in to radiography is because of the great pay in this profession and also the massive demands for radiographers in the health sector. A radiography can work in a hospital, a research institute and can even startup their own center.
I got to know about this course after I course admission into the university, I went into research to know about the course. My inquisitivness led me to check for job opportunities on a job website and I saw over a 100 vacancies, this is to show you the employability of radiography. Radiography isn’t popular compared to medicine, nursing, pharmacy and other health related courses which makes it very easy to gain admission into the course and to also work in the field after graduating.
In this article, I am going to give you a heads-up on what to do if you want to become a radiography and I’ll also give you a breakdown of their salary.
Who Is A Radiographer?
Radiography deals with “rays”. It is the science of tissues, bones and other internal structure of the body visible by forming an image.
Radiography helps medical doctors to understand the problem a patient might be facing. A hospital or healthcare center cannot thrive without radiography.
Back to our question, who is a radiographer? A radiographer is a person who practices radiography, i.e a person who studied radiography. A radiographer can be called a medical radiation technologist or a radiologic technologist.
What Is The Difference Between A Radiographer And A Radiologist
Alot of people mistake these two words without knowing they are two different words with different meanings.
A radiologist is a medical doctor who uses the image provided by the radiographer to administer treatment to the patient.
They are not responsible for carrying out the test.
Ideally, a person who studied medicine is a medical doctor after finishing his bachelor’s degree. But after finishing the degree, Doctors can then proceed for their masters to focus on a particular field. That’s what a radiologist is; a doctor whose primary assignment is on the tissues and bone of the body.
While a radiographer is a person who is responsible for taking the pictures using an x-ray machine.
Requirements To Study Radiography
To study radiography, you’ll have to be a science student.
When applying a school, make sure you have a minimum of grade C on English language, mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics In your WASSCE, NECO NABTEB or its equivalent.
The JAMB UTME subject combination is English, Physics, Biology and Chemistry.
The cut-off mark depends on the school you are applying to but it is usually above 210.
How To Become A Radiographer
To become radiographer, you’ll have to gain admission into the university, study the course for five years and then be inducted into the profession.
After graduating, you’ll go through a one year internship programme, after the internship programme you’ll then have to enroll for the one year mandatory NYSC programme.
After NYSC, you are a qualified radiographer and you can practice the profession anywhere.
How Long Does It Take To Get A Radiography Degree In Nigeria
Just like other medical courses, radiography is a five years course.
After the degree program, you’ll go through a one year internship at any government hospital for a year.
Where Can A Radiographer Work In Nigeria
The career opportunities in radiography is numerous, you can work in a hospital, pharmaceutical company, marine company and other places.
Salary Structure Of Radiographers In Nigeria
Below is a breakdown of the salary range radiographers get at working in various levels. Note that this values vary depending on the place of work and sometimes the figure might not be exact as what is written here.
As A NYSC Corper
A NYSC Corper who studied radiography earns an average of N50,000 per month. Note that it may be lesser or higher than this depending on the clinic or hospital you were posted to.
As An Intern
Internship is a programme for learning, this will make you have a firsthand experience of ybr profession. This is usually done after you have completed your degree programme.
An Intern earns between N80,000-N100,000 per month.
Salary Of Radiographers In A Private Hospital
Some private hospital pay more than government hospital while some pay very low.
A radiographer in a private hospital earns between N130,000-N150,000.
Salary Of Radiographers In A Government Hospital
There are federal and state owned government hospital so the pay differs.
A radiographer who works in a federal hospital earns more than his counterpart who works in a state hospital. They are also paid according to their level, a person who just got employed doesn’t have thesame salary with a person who have worked for five years in the hospital.
An entry level radiographer (0-2 year experience) earns N120,000-N150,000 per month in federal government hospitals.
Mid-level radiographers (2-5 years experience) earns about N150,000-200,000 per month.
While experts (5 year above) earn between 200,000-250,000 government hospitals/clinic.
Conclusion
That’s all about knowing what radiography is, how to study radiography and also the salary structure.
As you can see, radiography is a good course considering the vast opportunities in it.
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