Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography which is more Lucrative

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Medical laboratory science and Radiography are two professions that carry out similar aims and objectives but with different approaches.

Medical laboratory science makes use of body fluid, exudate, stool, and body tissues to carry out a test to know the cause of an ailment which will help the physician in his diagnosis and treatment.

Radiography is a science that makes use of radiation, X-rays, and any other rays to view body tissue and structures to detect an ailment making it possible to diagnose and treat a patient with internal injuries and cancer.

These two professions have a big say in the treatment of an ailment an error or mistake from them will be fatal. 

No wonder medical laboratory science is the bedrock of modern medicine while radiography is the eyes of modern medicine.

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Radiography and Medical laboratory science are both five years courses with a compulsory one-year internship and one-year NYSC.

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Between Medical Laboratory Science and Radiography which is more lucrative.

I am going to tell you which profession is more lucrative base on the criteria below;

Job opportunity
Salary
Easy to set up

I am to tell you which is more lucrative between radiography and medical laboratory science using the instance of two graduates, John a medical laboratory scientist, and Peter a Radiographer.

John is a fresh graduate from the department of medical laboratory science, he has completed his compulsory one-year internship and NYSC, and now he is looking to get a job.

John has two options, set up his laboratory or look for a laboratory or hospital that will employ him.

Medical laboratory science is a saturated profession, it has been in existence since and most universities offered the course.  so there are a lot of medical laboratory graduates like John on the street looking for a laboratory or hospital to employ them.

So getting a job will be a bit difficult for John, tho he will get a job, it will take him time cause the competition is much.

Medical Laboratory Science is a lucrative profession, their services are always needed, so definitely John is going to get a job, but it will take time.

How quickly John will be able to get a job is going to depends on the extra skills he has that his competitors or colleagues don't have. These extra skills will make his potential employer pick him among others.

It will interest you to know that graduates from other departments like medical biochemistry and microbiology tend to compete with medical laboratory science, anyway, they are not matched.

An Employer will pick a medical laboratory science over a medical biochemist and microbiologist in a hospital or medical laboratory except the biochemist and microbiologist has extra skills that the medical scientist doesn't have.

John's second option is to set up a laboratory and become a  boss of its own (private practice). Getting the necessary equipment and machines won't be difficult, with a few million Naira between two million to five million nairas he will be able to get the necessary equipment and startup.

The amount of money to start up solely depends on the kind of laboratory you want to set up; a big one or small. A big laboratory will cost a lot of money, while a small laboratory will cost a few nairas.

Setting up a medical laboratory is quite easy and getting a client is much easier, just link up or partner with hospitals around you, preferably private hospitals. most private hospitals don't have laboratories.

They will send their patients or specimen to you,  you will charge the patients and carry out the analysis/or test and send the result back to the hospital and pay them their agreed percentage.

These are the two options John has, if you are in john's shoes which will you go for?

Peter is a Radiographer, he studied Radiography.

Peter has the same options as John, which are; to set up a private laboratory or get a job.

Radiography in Nigeria is a new course, recently introduced into the university, only five universities offered Radiography in Nigeria. There are fewer Radiography graduates.

So Peter has a high chance of getting a job because there are only a few Radiographers in town compared to the high demand.

Peter's second option is to set up a radiography laboratory. Setting up a Radiography laboratory is no joke, it will cost a lot of money, Radiography equipment and machines are expensive.

Conclusion

With the story above which profession do you think is more lucrative between radiography and medical laboratory science?

Radiography and Medical laboratory science which has more Job Opportunities

In Nigeria, I will say radiography has more job opportunities than medical laboratory science, the reason being that there are only a few radiographers in the country and their services are in high demand.

A radiographer will easily get an employee than a medical laboratory scientist.

In terms of going into private practice and setting up a laboratory, it will be far easier for a medical laboratory scientist to go into private practice and set up his laboratory than radiography, reasons are that medical laboratory scientist equipment is prissily affordable than radiography equipment is far expensive and running a radiography laboratory will cost you a lot.

Also note not all hospitals have radiography laboratories, tho some federal hospitals are setting up radiography laboratories.

Radiographers earn more than medical laboratory scientists, because their equipment is expensive and the job has a high risk of you will be dealing with radiation, and exposure to too much radiation is detrimental to health.

Radiography and Physiotherapy which is more lucrative

Even in private laboratories, radiographers charge more than medical laboratory scientists. I guess you know how much a brain scan will cost?

Medical laboratory scientists have more clients and work than a radiographer.

Do you think we have an answer?

which is more lucrative than medical laboratory science or Radiography.

Radiography is more lucrative than medical laboratory science right now, I  Don't think it will remain so in the next twenty to fifty years when they have produced enough Radiographers.

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