CSU Professor of Medical Imaging Robert Davidson said the new facilities, planned for construction in Port Macquarie ahead of the opening of the University's new campus there in 2015, would include two medical imaging laboratories with advanced x-ray equipment and image viewing stations.

The laboratories will form part of the University's Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science offering, which allows students at Port Macquarie Campus to specialise in medical imaging.

"There is an increasing demand for highly educated and adaptable medical radiation science professionals in response to the aging population and the general growth of the industry," he said.

"Charles Sturt University is committed to helping grow the rural health workforce in this and other areas so that rural and regional Australians have better access to care no matter where they live."

Professor Davidson said the Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science was designed to anticipate the needs of the healthcare sector and employers.

"There has also been an evolution in the medical radiation sciences to a more integrative model where the boundaries between one discipline and the next are increasingly less defined," he said.

"Charles Sturt University's Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science is designed to anticipate industry demands and is in a unique position to offer graduates a competitive advantage in the employment market."

Professor Davidson said the equipment used by medical radiation scientists has become increasingly sophisticated in the past decade, and graduates had to understand the theory and operation of that equipment. "Our course ... can provide a rewarding and fulfilling career for people interested in a technically-oriented healthcare field," he said.

has an emphasis on the techniques and equipment used in diagnostic radiography, nuclear medicine, such as ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography," he said.