Medical and Pharmaceutical Technicians

How to become a medical X-ray technician

Official title: Medical X-ray technician

Also called: Radiography technician (medical), X-ray machine operator (medical), Radiography technician (medical), X-ray machine operator (medical)

Medical X-ray technician operates X-ray equipment to make radiographs for medical diagnostic purposes or give therapeutic treatment. He/she prepares patient for exposure to X-rays and, when necessary, fixes lead plates to protect parts of body not to be exposed to X-rays in addition to manipulating controls of machine to regulate the time and intensity of exposure.

Main tasks

Explaining procedures, observing and positioning patients to ensure safety and comfort during examination, scan, or treatment
Using radiation safety measures and protection devices to comply with and to ensure safety of patients and health care workers
Position imaging or treatment equipment and adjusting controls to set exposure time and distancing according to specification
Operating or overseeing operation of radiologic, ultrasound and magnetic imaging equipment to produce images of the body for diagnostic purposes
Reviewing and evaluating developed X-rays, video tape, or computer generated information to determine if images are satisfactory for diagnostic purposes and recording results of procedures
Monitoring video display of area being scanned and adjusting density or contrast to improve picture quality
Monitoring patients’ conditions and reactions, reporting abnormal signs to medical practitioner

Ways in

Polytechnic or ITE: Polytechnic diploma. Related diplomas: Diploma in Medical Biotechnology (Temasek Polytechnic). Peernovo matched these from course names; polytechnics do not publish which jobs each course leads to.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $42,480 a year. The middle half earn $33,780 to $89,124 a year.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

How do I become a medical X-ray technician?

Ways in include: Polytechnic diploma.

How much does a medical X-ray technician earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $42,480 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $33,780 to $89,124.

Will AI change the work of a medical X-ray technician?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026