Meeting expectations: opportunities and challenges for radiographers in the current regulatory environment

In 2012 radiography became a regulated profession for which professional capabilities were introduced for the first time. This thesis explores the impact medical dominance, education and the workplace have on radiographers' abilities to meet the expectations of the regulator, especially in regards to alerting referrers to significant and unexpected findings in emergency cases. Based upon empirical evidence, the thesis has shown that radiographers are capable of providing preliminary image interpretation for some examinations. The integration of such tasks will greatly improve radiology services in Australia in particular in remote and rural areas, contributing to the delivery of safer patient-focused healthcare.