PURPOSE: Although there are over 40,000 licensed radiological technologists (RTs) in Korea, job competency standards have yet to be defined. This study aims to clarify the job competency of Korean RTs. METHODS: A task force team of 11 professional RTs were recruited in order to analyze the job competency of domestic and international RTs. A draft for the job competency of Korean RTs was prepared. A survey was then conducted sampling RTs and the attitudes of their competencies were recorded from May 21 to July 30, 2016. RESULTS: We identified five modules of professionalism, patient management, health and safety, operation of equipment, and procedure management and 131 detailed job competencies for RTs in Korea. “Health and safety” had the highest average score and “professionalism” had the lowest average score for both job performance and importance. The content validity ratios for the 131 subcompetencies were mostly valid. CONCLUSION: Establishment of standard guidelines for RT job competency for multidisciplinary healthcare at medical institutions may be possible based on our results, which will help educators of RT training institutions to clarify their training and education.
Advisory Committees ; Delivery of Health Care ; Education ; Humans ; Korea* ; Licensure ; Professionalism ; Republic of Korea ; Specialization* ; Technology, Radiologic ; Work Performance

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the clinical usefulness of serum procalcitonin (PCT) levels in Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (M. pneumonia) and viral pneumonia in children. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 348 patients admitted between June 2015 and December of 2015. There were 162 patients with M. pneumonia without virus coinfection (group 1) and 186 patients with viral pneumonia (group 2). All subjects had radiographic evidence of pneumonia with available specimens for both M. pneumonia and viral testing, and levels of serum PCT, white blood cell counts (WBC), neutrophil portion, and C-reactive protein (CRP). Fifty-eight children who performed follow-up sampling at the time of no fever for more than 48 hours were subdivided into group 3 (M. pneumonia with follow-up sampling, n=41) and group 4 (viral pneumonia with follow-up sampling, n=17). RESULTS: No difference was noted in the levels of serum PCT (P=0.168), CRP (P=0.296), WBC (P=0.732), and neutrophil proportion (P=0.069) between groups 1 and 2, after adjusting for age. Serial changes in serum PCT levels between the first and second samples were significant in group 3 (P=0.046). Serial changes in serum CRP levels between the first and second samples were significant in group 4 (P=0.008). CONCLUSION: Serum PCT and CRP levels may change differently after infection according to the etiology of pneumonia.
C-Reactive Protein ; Child* ; Coinfection ; Cross-Sectional Studies* ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Medical Records ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae ; Mycoplasma* ; Neutrophils ; Pneumonia ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia, Viral* ; Retrospective Studies