Career profile · SOC ESC-E26FFBC2

radiographer

Radiographers use a range of technologies to examine, treat and care for patients. They work in the fields of Medical Imaging, Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine and apply ionising radiation, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and radioactive sources.

radiographer radiographers use a range of technologies to examine, treat and care for patients. They work in the fields of Medical Imaging, Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine and apply ionising radiation, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and radioactive sources. The role shows moderate AI exposure (0.50 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include hygiene in a health care setting, pharmaceutical products, health care legislation, medical terminology, health care occupation-specific ethics.

AI exposure
5.0/10
automation risk

Pay in the UK

UK: median £42,079 a year for Other health professionals n.e.c. (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)

Middle half of full-time jobs: £34,346 to £49,077 a year

UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2259). ONS rates this estimate precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)

Pay in India (occupation group)

Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only radiographer, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.

Urban India
₹42,717 a month
Rural India
₹30,424 a month
All India
₹38,466 a month

Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report

Top skills

hygiene in a health care setting pharmaceutical products health care legislation medical terminology health care occupation-specific ethics radiation physics in healthcare evidence-based radiography practice medical contrast agents radiobiology paediatrics

Knowledge you'll build

  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Biology
  • English Language
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Education and Training
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Physics
  • Public Safety and Security

What you'd actually do

  • Prepare comprehensive interpretive reports of findings.
  • Perform or interpret the outcomes of diagnostic imaging procedures including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear cardiology treadmill studies, mammography, or ultrasound.
  • Document the performance, interpretation, or outcomes of all procedures performed.
  • Communicate examination results or diagnostic information to referring physicians, patients, or families.
  • Obtain patients' histories from electronic records, patient interviews, dictated reports, or by communicating with referring clinicians.
  • Review or transmit images and information using picture archiving or communications systems.

Tools & technology you'd use

Epic Systems hot eClinicalWorks EHR software hot MEDITECH software hot Microsoft Excel hot Microsoft Word hot ACOM Solutions RAPID EMR Advanced Data Systems MedicsRis Allscripts PM Allscripts Professional EHR Alteer Office athenahealth athenaCollector Automatic Data Processing AdvancedMD EHR

Frequently asked questions

What does radiographer do?

Radiographers use a range of technologies to examine, treat and care for patients. They work in the fields of Medical Imaging, Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine and apply ionising radiation, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and radioactive sources.

What skills does radiographer need?

The most in-demand skills for this role include hygiene in a health care setting, pharmaceutical products, health care legislation, medical terminology, health care occupation-specific ethics, radiation physics in healthcare. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.

Will AI replace radiographer?

Our AI-durability model gives radiographer a score of 0.50 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.

Take it further