Image as a profession

The activities and professional relationships in the imaging department of a non-university public hospital are the central theme of the research work presented here. Against the backdrop of the sociology of professions (where an epistemological perspective of the discipline is presented), issues such as: professional autonomy and authority; intra- and inter-professional relationships, tensions and conflicts; the configurations assumed by technology in the field of imaging; the techniques used; the occupational risks to which workers in this service are exposed; the power of the medical profession and its effects on the emergence and affirmation of "new" health professions, namely radiology technicians. The methodological part of the study discusses some factors that interfere with the results, particularly aspects that can bias the data obtained (including the researcher himself). After all, research is never completely neutral. In a field of research full of multiple social interactions, the conclusions reached are both surprising and illuminating of the hospital environment.