The Datum Report

Occupation 2254 · Professional occupations

Medical radiographers

Half of full-time medical radiographers in the UK earn more than £48,439 a year, and half earn less.

Medical (diagnostic) radiographers operate x-ray machines, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and other imaging devices for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, assist in the diagnosis of injuries and diseases and are involved in intervention procedures such as the removal of kidney stones. They operate under the supervision of senior staff. Therapeutic radiographers specialise in the planning and administration of radiotherapy treatment for patients with cancer.

How people enter it

Entrants for medical radiography possess a degree in radiography recognised by the Health Professions Council (HPC). Those with a relevant first degree may qualify by completing a pre-registration postgraduate diploma or a Masters qualification. Post-qualifying courses are available for specialist areas.

What the work involves

• uses a range of imaging devices for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes
• assesses patients and interprets clinical requirements to determine appropriate radiographic treatments
• verifies identity of patient and ensures that necessary preparations have been made for the examination/treatment
• decides length and intensity of exposure or strength of dosage of isotope
• positions patient and operates x-ray, scanning or fluoroscopic equipment
• maintains records of all radiographic/therapeutic work undertaken
• plans course of treatment with clinical oncologists and physicists
• calculates radiation dosage and maps volume to be treated
• explains treatment to patient and management of any side effects
• carries out post-treatment reviews and follow-ups

Also called

Medical photographer · Nuclear medicine practitioner · Radiographer · Sonographer · Therapeutic radiographer · Vascular technologist

What it pays

How pay has changed

Median gross annual pay for medical radiographers, full-time employees, 2023 to 2025. Each point is that year's ASHE April snapshot as published — revisions are not backfilled into earlier years, and a year ONS withheld is a gap rather than a joined line.

ONS, ASHE Table 14 - occupation by four-digit SOC (national). Table

Year-on-year change

The change from each year to the next, in per cent, computed from the figures in the chart above — so the two cannot disagree.

ONS, ASHE Table 14 - occupation by four-digit SOC (national). Table

Pay by region

Median gross annual pay for full-time employees, ranked, against the UK figure. 10 of 11 regions are published: ONS withholds a cell where the survey sample cannot support it, and those are shown as gaps rather than dropped — an absent region is not a region without the work in it.

ONS, ASHE Table 14 - occupation by four-digit SOC (national). Period 2025. Table

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Common questions

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Dental practitioners · Optometrists · Other health professionals n.e.c. · Paramedics · Pharmacists · Podiatrists