Radiography simulation: the complete guide

Simulation lets radiography students practise scanning where mistakes cost nothing: MRI, CT, PET-CT and X-ray consoles in software, phantoms, VR and role-play. What it is, what the evidence shows, and how colleges use it.

By the ScanFlo Editorial Team · Updated 12 October 2026

In this section · Simulation

Radiography simulation is the practice of scanning tasks in a setting where mistakes cost nothing: software consoles for MRI, CT, PET-CT and X-ray, phantoms, VR and role-play. In anaesthetist David Gaba's widely used definition, simulation "is a technique—not a technology—to replace or amplify real experiences with guided experiences". This guide links the full set.

MRI simulators →Planning, TR and TE, protocols and artefacts; plus mock scanners for children.CT scan simulators →Topogram, kV, mAs, pitch, contrast timing and dose. Not radiotherapy CT-sim.X-ray simulators →Positioning, exposure and image critique without radiation.PET-CT simulators →Uptake, beds, CT-AC and SUV, without a tracer.Does it transfer? →What the evidence shows, and what it doesn't yet.

79%

of radiography educators surveyed use simulation

120 h

of simulation the UK recommends per student

radiography simulation studies, 2003–2023

of them reported patient outcomes

Sources: Partner et al. (2023); College of Radiographers (2025); Vestbøstad et al. (2024).

Why simulate at all?

Because placements and scanner time are limited, and some mistakes should never be learned on a patient.

Health Education and Improvement Wales puts it simply: simulation "should provide a safe environment where participants can learn from their mistakes without any danger to patients" (HEIW). India's NCAHP curriculum for medical radiology and imaging technology adds a practical case: simulators address "suboptimal use of resources and equipment" and the "limitations for imparting practical training in real-life scenarios" (NCAHP curriculum, VNSGU edition).

Scarce scanner time

Scanners are booked for patients; students get what is left.

Patient safety

First attempts at planning, contrast or screening happen off-patient.

Repetition

Twenty attempts at one plan, with feedback, in an afternoon.

Whole-batch access

Software lets every student practise at once.

What does the evidence show?

Large effects on knowledge and skills across health professions, consistent positive findings in radiography, and a gap on patient outcomes.

What 78 radiography simulation studies used

Live model / role-play

Virtual reality

Simulator

Phantom

Computer program

Skills were the most common outcome (66 studies); none reported patient outcomes. Source: Vestbøstad, Karlgren and Olsen, Cochrane Colloquium 2024.

A scoping review of medical radiation students found four of five controlled studies with performance outcomes favoured simulation, and 15 of 17 self-report studies found higher clinical competence afterwards (Johnson, Chau and Arruzza, 2022). Across all health professions, a meta-analysis of 609 studies found large effects on knowledge and skills against no training (Cook et al., JAMA, 2011). The detail is in does simulator practice transfer to the scanner?

When considering the current simulation status in diagnostic radiography training, the conclusion is that it is both a substitute and an adjunct.

Andrew England, Clare Rainey, Laura McLaughlin and Mark McEntee, EMJ Radiology. Source

How much simulation do regulators expect?

The UK sets a figure, Ireland has cut placement hours, and India asks for skill labs without a number.

Simulation and placement rules in four systems
Where	Rule	Source
United Kingdom	About 120 hours of simulation in addition to 1,200 practice-based learning hours	College of Radiographers, 2025
Ireland	Placement hours reduced from 1,200 to 1,000	EMJ Radiology
UK nursing (for comparison)	Up to 600 hours of simulated practice allowed during COVID-19 recovery	EMJ Radiology
India	Provide simulation and skill labs in the early years of studentship	NCAHP curriculum

Adoption is already high. In a 2023 survey, 79% of radiography educators reported using simulation and 51% had increased it because of COVID-19 (Partner et al., Radiography, 2023).

How should a simulation session run?

In five phases, as recommended in the UK simulation model.

The simulation model

STEP 01
Preparation
One learning outcome, the case and the kit ready.
STEP 02
Pre-brief
Task, time and how it will be judged.
STEP 03
Facilitation
Students do; faculty observe and prompt.
STEP 04
Debrief
What happened, why, and what changes on a real patient.
STEP 05
Evaluation
Did they learn it? A short test or OSCE station.

From the Bradford simulation model report for the College of Radiographers, 2025.

Articles for students and colleges

Hands-on MRI practice before your first posting →Why protocols shouldn't be learned on patients →Teaching MRI without scanner time →Building a radiography lab on a budget →OSCE stations for scanning skills →From B.Sc. to your first scanner →

Try it on the console

Simulate MRI, CT, PET-CT and X-ray in one place

ScanFlo runs every console in the browser, with faculty assignments and OSCE stations for colleges.

Book a demo →

Frequently asked questions

What is simulation-based education in radiography?

Structured activities that represent real or possible situations in imaging practice, so students can build knowledge, skills and attitudes in a setting where mistakes harm nobody. It includes role-play, phantoms, VR and software simulators of MRI, CT, PET-CT and X-ray consoles.

How many hours of simulation should a radiography student get?

The UK's College of Radiographers recommends about 120 hours of simulation-based education in addition to 1,200 hours of practice-based learning. India's NCAHP curriculum asks for simulation and skill labs but does not set a number of hours.

Does simulation replace clinical placement?

No, though it can take a small share. Experts surveyed in one study thought 11 to 30% of clinical training time could be replaced by simulated placement. Most bodies describe simulation as an adjunct to placements.

Which modality should a college simulate first?

Usually MRI and CT, where student scanner time is scarcest and the skills are console decisions that software reproduces well. X-ray positioning benefits from role-play and VR as well as software.

Sources

Every figure on this page links back to one of these.

← The console What is an MRI simulator? →