So, what do you need to become a radiographer? The obvious answer is sufficient points in the Leaving Cert. However, Mary Coffey of TCD's therapeutic radiography school says that the job would suit "somebody outgoing, who is able to communicate well and to empathise with people.

"It's quite a physical job - people with disabilities might find it difficult so it would be worth their while contacting the school to talk about it. There is a lot of pushing and pulling and shifting heavy weights."

Kate Matthews, principal of UCD's school of diagnostic imaging, says that the best advice for school leavers would be to visit an x-ray department. The job can accommodate people with a more technical bent and those who are interested in communication and interpersonal relations, she says.

Unlike therapeutic radiography you are not dealing with people over a long period of time. "You must be able to establish a good rapport quite quickly. In many instances, you may be in contact with the patient for only 20 minutes." She also notes that the job is quite physical and you must be able to give the patients physical as well as emotional rapport. While there is a perception that radiography is a woman's career, this is slowly changing.

Students who have visited x-ray departments and are sure this is the career for them may be interested in contacting the College of Radiographers in London for details of courses in Britain and Northern Ireland. Write to the college at 2, Carriage Row, 183 Eversholt Road, London NW1 1 BU, England. (Phone: 0044 171 3914500).