Is Radiography a good course in Nigeria?

Is Radiography a good course in Nigeria? Is Radiography a lucrative course in Nigeria?

Have you ever fractured a bone or dislocated a joint and were taken to a hospital or laboratory for an X-ray? If yes, then you have definitely met a Radiographer. Radiographers are specialists who are trained to take different clear images of parts of the body using radiation (due to difference is densities of different parts of the body) and special equipments and techniques.

Radiography compared to other courses in Nigeria such as Medicine, Nursing, Engineering and Pharmacy is not as popular and as such it doesn’t have a large student or aspirant mass. However, it is in all ways a good course to study in Nigeria for a lot of reasons.

What is Radiography though? Radiography is the art and science of using radiation to produce images of the tissues, organs, bones and vessels that the human body is comprised of. It is an imaging technique using X-rays, gamma rays, or similar ionizing and non ionizing radiation to view the internal form of the body.

One of the reasons Radiography is a good course to study in Nigeria is its ease of education. You can study Radiography by writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (the UTME cut off mark to study Radiography in the university is 280 and above) along with the Post UTME of the school after which if you meet up to the cut-off marks for admission for that year (Usually 80 and above out of hundred), you will be offered admission to study Radiography in the faculty of Basic Medical Sciences as a 100 level student.

Due to its unpopularity and low student population, the chances of admission are increased though this tends to be balanced out by the fact that there are only a few universities that offer Radiography in Nigeria which are;

Bayero University, Kano State.

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.

University Of Calabar, Calabar, Cross-Rivers State.

University Of Lagos, Lagos.

University Of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno State.

University Of Nigeria Nsukka, Enugu State.

Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto State.

University Of Uyo, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

Radiography also offers a lot of room to grow professionally as Radigraohers can go on to study/ master in areas such as Nuclear Medicine, Cardiac and Vascular Radiography, Radiation Therapy, Bone Densitometry, and even a Radiology. They also have the ability to specialize in special areas or learn how to use specialized equipment which would be a bonus. There is also a high demand and employment rate for qualified Radiographers and Radiography interns in the country with a good pay.

On average, a Radiographer earns between 100,000 naira to 150,000 naira per month for a start in a federal setting and about 75,000 naira to 110,000 naira per month in state hospitals and private laboratories. Radiographers also enjoy added benefits such as health and dental insurance, paid sick leaves, retirement saving plans, yearly vacations. Radiographers also get free radiation level checks due to their continuous exposure to radiation which could cause health problems such as Leukaemia. Therefore, Radiography is proven beyond reasonable doubt to be a good course to study in Nigeria.

Olayinka Shyllon

This atticle is the intellectual property of www.nimedhealth.com.ng