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Radiologist Assistant is an occupation that has been recognized by the US Department of Labor and provides these professional functions:
The RA takes a leading role in patient management and assessment. Duties in this area might include determining whether a patient has been appropriately prepared for a procedure, obtaining patient consent prior to beginning the procedure, answering questions from the patient and his or her family, and adapting exam protocols to improve diagnostic quality. The radiologist assistant also is expected to serve as a patient advocate, ensuring that each patient receives quality care while in the radiology department or clinic.
Second, the radiologist assistant performs selected radiology examinations and procedures under the supervision of a radiologist. Although each RA's responsibilities will vary, a few of the procedures include assisting radiologists with invasive procedures, performing fluoroscopy for noninvasive procedures under direct supervision of the radiologist, placing nasoenteric and oroenteric feeding tubes in uncomplicated patients, and performing selected peripheral venous diagnostic procedures. The level of radiologist supervision varies, depending on the type of examination.
And third, the RA may be responsible for evaluating image quality, making initial image observations and forwarding those observations to the supervising radiologist. The supervising radiologist remains responsible for providing a final written report, an interpretation or a diagnosis.
The RA has been mandated in the state of Ohio to become boarded with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists and also licensed with the Ohio Medical Board. Completing the MS course of study as an imaging assistant provides the education and clinical experience to meet these agency requirements.
For more information please check out these web sites:
ASRT information https://www.asrt.org/content/Educators/Curricula/RadiologistAssistant/radiologistassistantcurriculum.aspx
ARRT information
http://www.arrt.org/index.html?content=radasst/raintro.htm
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