X-ray techs earn more than nurses

And the work is ‘less toxic’ too

MANILA, Philippines—Among the allied medical professions in the Philippines, their field is not as popular as nursing. But radiologic technicians like Arnold and Agnes Llegado have a secret they want to share: Compared to nursing, the rad tech’s job is “less toxic”—and the pay (in some countries) is higher.

Rad techs, also called radiographers, are the guys manning the X-ray machines, CT scans, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment, and other new diagnostic and therapeutic medical technologies.

For a long time they were considered pretty much bottom-rung hospital employees.

At the Makati Medical Center, where Arnold and Agnes worked after getting their radiography licenses in Manila, their pay checks were only a little more than the minimum wage.

“Even when I was single, I could barely make ends meet on P10,000 (about $228) a month,” said Agnes, who hails from Batangas. A condominium or a new car were things just out of her league.

The two radiographers never even imagined they could land overseas jobs. Recruiters before were always scouting for nurses and physical therapists, they recalled.

Changing demand

But times have changed with the ever increasing role of radiologic imaging in both diagnostic and therapeutic practice—now part of the fast expanding field of nuclear medicine.

In 2000, Arnold and Agnes were recruited by a hospital in Singapore.

Arnold said he almost couldn’t believe it: He was to earn more than what most resident doctors earned at private hospitals in Manila.

A decade later (faster than anyone can say millennium development goal), Arnold and Agnes enjoy a lifestyle only the ultra rich and some politicians in the Philippines can afford: a decent apartment abroad, a condominium in Manila, brand new cars, yearly tours to different parts of the world, and children studying in Essex, England.

It was in Singapore where Arnold and Agnes fell in love. They returned to Manila to get married.

Six years later, Arnold’s former boss at the Singapore hospital called him about a job opening in a hospital in the UK.

He was raring to go, he said, but not without Agnes. That was another good decision he made. Overseas work did not tear this family apart.

“We didn’t know what awaited us. But I was confident because Agnes was with me, supporting me every step of the way. She also had to resign from her job. We started anew,” Arnold told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a video conference.

Arnold, 36, and Agnes, 31, are now blessed with two children, Aedrick and Aedrey.

In-demand skills

Radiologic technologists are among the highly skilled professions that have been very much in demand in the UK since 2000, according to the Association of Filipino Radiographers in the UK (Afruk).

The group now has 69 registered members and expect more to join them.

The couple noted that there are also many Filipino nurses there.

Arnold clearly prefers his job. Unlike nurses, he claims, they are not as overworked and “the work is less toxic” (hospital lingo for work stress).

The Llegado couple work at the same company but are assigned to different stations.

“It is more than rewarding because we help each other out and we share our knowledge,” Agnes said.

It has also kept their relationship strong. “I know exactly what time he gets off,” Agnes quipped.

“But we know how and when to party,” she quickly added.

Less hierarchical culture

There’s more than money to gain in overseas work. The couple like the culture in England.

Unlike in Singapore and in the Philippines “where some, if not most hospital patients are rude and unfriendly,” British patients are generally pleasant, according to the couple.

Hospital institutions are also more laidback, less hierarchical. “Colleagues call each other by their first names unlike in the Philippines where it’s requisite to call others ‘ma’am’ and ‘sir,’” Agnes added.

Filipinos get along not only because they are naturally warm but also because they are professionally skilled, said Arnold, who now speaks with a slight British accent.

In his younger days, he said he never imagined a career as a radiographer. He wanted to be an architect. Agnes, on the other hand, dreamt of becoming a pediatrician.

Professional satisfaction

But Arnold and Agnes now take pride in their profession. Radiography is a fast expanding specialization.

“I owe much of my blessings to my job,” said Agnes. Her younger sister Ivy is now also a radiographer in Singapore.

Holidays for the Llegados usually means touring other countries. Christmas and New Year, however, are reserved for their families in the Philippines. “We always go home and perhaps we will retire to the place where we were born.”

Comparative estimated salaries of doctors, nurses and other medical, dental, veterinary-related workers

Country/Profession Average Monthly Salary
(In US dollars/2008)

Singapore
– Medical doctors 1,500.00
– Professional nurses 882.86
– Medical, dental, veterinary-related workers 904.46

United Kingdom
– Medical doctors 4,693.82
– Professional nurses 1,854.66

United States
– Medical doctors 7,087.94
– Professional nurses 5,200
– Medical, dental, veterinary-related workers 2,932.83

UK payscales

Joel Casayuran, chairman of the Association of Filipino Radiographers in the United Kingdom (Afruk), said the demand for Pinoy rad techs in the UK has surged. Here are current pay scales straight from Afruk for rad techs, med techs, and nurses in the UK:

Rad techs
Junior Grade-Basic Grade to Senior 2 radiographers earn from £24,000 to £32,000 per annum (P1,632,000-P2,176,000 per annum; at 68 peso equivalent)
Senior 1 to Superintendent Grade radiographers-from £30,000 to £39,000 per annum (P2,040,000-P2,652,000)

Med techs
Basic medical technologists-from £22,000 to £29,000 per annum (P1,496,000-P1,972,000)

Nurses
Basic Grade A for the nurses-from £10,050 to £12,615 per annum (P683,400-P857,820)

–Emman Cena, Philippine Daily Inquirer