Juru X-ray vs Radiographer

Mr Choo Pen Too wrote: PROFESSION NAME CHANGE � WHAT�S IN A NAME?

I am here again bringing up the same old issue which I had raised years ago(Year 1999 to be exact) in one of our MSR AGMs i.e. proposing a name change to our profession and to enhance our professional image. I am at it again mainly because of two reasons � firstly I was �fired-up� by our Malaysian First Angkasawan and secondly I was �fascinated� by the name our new MSR team used to described our MSR in the Internet portal viz. MEDICAL IMAGING PROFESSIONAL not some name associated with x-ray. Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar�s flight into the outer space signaled an advanced era we(Malaysians) are all in now. So we(radiographers) should not be left behind by our brethren in other medical fraternity and should instead be adopting a different mindset now � in keeping tandem with times, that is.

Right from the beginning when I first advocated the name change, I had stated that a name for a profession should rightly or correctly reflect what one is doing. It is as clear as water that a �Juru X-Ray� is ONLY dealing with x-ray in his/her daily work. Is this what we are doing currently? The answer is definitely �NO�. Simply because we are not only using x-rays as our source for imaging, but also magnetism as in MRI, soundwaves as in ultrasonography, gamma-ray as in Nuclear Medicine. You might argue that majority of us are using x-rays as our source, so the name �Juru X-Ray� is appropriate! ! But is that so? Can, say a MR Radiographer calls himself/herself a Juru X-Ray when he is only dealing with electromagnetic waves or RF and not x-rays or a Sonographer calls herself a Juru X-Ray when she is only using soundwaves as her source for imaging and x-ray has no business at all in her daily work?? Now, is that appropriate??? Why can�t we, for example, adopt a new name that fits all -irrespective if one is doing only pure x-ray work as in some remote places or a sophisticated MR Radiographer who is doing only MR work in a trendy hospital? I used to suggest using for example, Medical Imaging Technologist which in my humble opinion fits us all mainly because we are all doing the work of imaging, regardless of what sources we are using. Of course, other names of similar nature could be considered as well. If necessary, let�s throw in a naming competition!


I don�t know how many of you would remember we were once the �leaders� in the paramedic group- belonged to the Kumpulan B- just one rung below the degree-holders BUT one rung above the Pembantu Hospital, Jururawat, Pembancuh Ubat, Pembantu Makmal etc.They rose both salarywise and namewise. But, sadly, where are we now? They have been vibrant in pursuit of their careers whilst the poor us have remained stagnant. They have befitting names depicting their beloved professions such as Penolong Pegawai Perubatan( from Hospital Assistant to Medical Assistant to currently), Pembantu Farmasi(Pharmacy Assistant), Fisioterapis, Juruteknologi Makmal Perubatan(Medical Laboratory Technologist) while we are still so nolstagic about �Juru X-Ray�!! Come on guys, it�s time for change! Even our bosses have changed theirs from Pakar X-Ray to Pakar Radiologi to Pakar Pengimejan Diagnostik so has our department from Jabatan X-Ray to Jabatan Radiologi to Jabatan Pengimejan Diagnostik!! The training colleges, be it private or public, only provide Medical Imaging courses nowadays, no more x-ray courses like in the past. Know what, even the new degree graduates were officially given the title �Pegawai Pengimejan U41/42� as stated in the recently-released ABM 2007. If the degree-holders were named �Pegawai Pengimejan� why can�t we be named �Juruteknologi Pengimejan�? The saddest part of the whole story is that our MSR leaders at that time did not take the cue from our former Timbalan Ketua Pengarah(Perubatan) Dato�Dr. Megat Burhanuddin when he suggested that we should change our �Juru X-Ray� to some more befitting names during his speech at the AGM dinner on that very day that I proposed the change! Just to reinforce what �outsiders� are thinking about our professional name- one day two years ago, my daughter came back to tell me, after attending a Career Guidance Talk at a private hospital, that the Chief Surgeon of that hospital when introducing the speaker ( a Juru X-Ray) to talk on � A Career in Radiography� commented that the name �Juru X-Ray� was outdated and irrelevant and suggested a change should be made by the relevant people! Do we really need those �outside� people to tell us what we should do? No wonder we are always tagging and lagging behind others over the past few decades!

Guys, if you think that a name means nothing, then you are terribly wrong! An appropriately-given name may give a moral-lift to the person imagewise, sound professional (so he has to act professionally) , and most important of all, it depicts what he is actually doing. We also want to be differentiated from the Juru X-Ray(Terapi) . Do you know that there are Juru X-Ray(Terapi) posts created in hospitals where Oncology/Therapy Departments are non-existant? For instances, Juru X-Ray(Terapi) U29-U36 posts were created in HSAJB and Hospital Pakar Sultanah Fatimah Muar where Radiotherapy Departments do not exist at all. Was it possible that the KKM HR people are confused that Juru X-Ray means the same thing irrespective whether they are (D) or (T)? That possibly explains the shortage of (D) posts in some Johore hospitals when the HR people thought that they have created abundant Juru X-Ray posts in that state! I am very happy see that some Juru X-Ray(Terapi) are calling themselves � Radiation Therapists� which I think is very appropriate for them. The evidence are right before our very eyes. Of the many paramedics who had taken the changes, why, for example, did the Pembantu Hospital of yesteryears took so much trouble to change to Pembantu Perubatan and then to Penolong Pegawai Perubatan recently? Even the Atenden Hospital had �revolutionised� their names to Pembantu Perawatan Kesihatan! Why can�t we? Why shouldn�t we? Why aren�t we? Why musn�t we?

All said, I am doing this not for my personal glory or anything but for our posterity(Juru X-Ray) as I personally am already in my twilight years of service with nothing much to clamour for. I strongly feel that we should not be left behind by the others in KKM and I also hope to see the new MSR leaders rise to the occasion as far as this is concerned.