About 20 years ago, we wrote a research paper about applicants who were being considered for MRI practitioner roles in the UK. Despite the aim of the project being to ascertain MRI competence, to our greater concern, quite a few of the participants we interviewed, were either masquerading as radiographers or had managed to gain a radiographic qualification (from somewhere) without having any clue as to what radiography actually involves. They were unable to identify an X ray tube. They couldn't explain what the radiographer was doing in photographs illustrating simple activities such as beam collimation or taking a lateral cervical spine radiograph. Without our intervention, these individuals would now be performing MRI scans in the NHS.
We raised a warning flag at the time - but here we are 20 years later, living in a "post-truth" world and the proliferation of fake online education has become a significant international concern, with research indicating the academic fraud ecosystem is now worth approximately $21 billion globally. Recent studies estimate that worldwide sales of fake degrees exceed $300 million annually, with more than one million fraudulent degrees sold in the past decade alone. The traditional diploma mill industry—where unaccredited institutions sell worthless credentials for flat fees—has been joined by a newer, more insidious threat: social media influencers and podcasters peddling unreferenced, unsupported "educational" materials that contain multiple errors and promise unrealistic outcomes. Quite often it is from well-meaning radiographers who feel the need to contribute their knowledge (accurate or otherwise) - but there are also "learning companies" who offer MRI education as a commercial venture, but having no educational qualifications to be doing so.
Notable cases include the fake learning-company Axact, which was exposed in 2015 by the New York Times for operating hundreds of fake universities and selling approximately two million diplomas before being raided by authorities.
The medical field has not been immune to this crisis. In 2018, Israeli police arrested 40 doctors, medical interns, and pharmacists who had purchased fake medical and pharmacy degrees from universities in Armenia, with investigations revealing they had passed accreditation examinations and were working in hospitals despite never completing their education. Former Ministry of Higher Education officials in Iraq recently estimated that at least 30% of practicing doctors hold questionable or fake credentials from diploma mills—leading to increased medical errors, preventable deaths, and erosion of public trust in the healthcare system.

In the world of influencers and podcasters, the situation is very similar:

Instagram personalities were recently exposed for selling $500 social media courses that failed to deliver promised content, with students reporting that the presenters disappeared after payment.
Linked In regularly features posts from MRI influencers and would-be educators, some offering courses with fake awards (the tell-tale sign often being a ©️ or ™️ symbol after the award title). These influencers and podcasters often fail to cite any relevant qualifications to be offering educational services.
YouTube features some useful MRI resources, but how does the uninitiated learner make an informed choice? We recently found a (well-meaning) MRI Education video that features a factual error or misunderstanding about every 20 seconds. Perhaps more worrying than the content of the video are the comments made underneath:

Good luck with that exm tmrw!

These comments show that people who are looking for education can be vulnerable, not just to predatory learning companies, but to the output of well-meaning content makers who have no qualifications in education and seemingly little knowledge in the topics they post about.
Nobody is perfect, we all make mistakes from time to time and there are many conscientious, knowledgeable radiographers out there who are rightly sharing best practice - all good - but for legitimate, qualified MRI education providers who have spent decades building evidence-based curricula, our concern is that the proliferation of fake credentials and unqualified "educators" undermines general confidence in education. It puts patients at genuine risk while making it harder for qualified educators to demonstrate their legitimate expertise.

So how do we compare? Please see the tabs below for more details about our educational credentials.

Presenters must know their subject. MRI is taught in the context of many different disciplines and we encourage an interdisciplinary approach. However the approach varies according to the intended audience. Pure physics is usually taught very well by physicists, but they may have limited knowledge about applying the learning to clinical scanning. Cross-sectional anatomy and abnormal pattern recognition is probably best taught by radiologists, but they may not have a deep understanding of the underpinning principles of MRI.

Cathy and John are both clinical MRI specialists having worked in both the healthcare diagnostics field, and MRI research (Oxford University) from the early days of MRI. Importantly, in addition to their postgraduate qualifications in MRI and education, they are also both qualified radiographers. Having a background in clinical radiography allows Cathy and John to tailor the lecture content to be at exactly the right level for the target audience.
In CPD - application to practice is everything and it is something that lecturers from other disciplines - such as physics or radiology - may not always have adequate contextual knowledge to provide.
We also foster close links with the major manufacturers having been a preferred education provider for Philips Healthcare, Elekta, Toshiba, Oxford Magnets, Schering and Bracco and Cobalt Imaging. This has allowed us to keep keep fully up-to-date with clinical and educational advances and continue to link theory with practice.

As professional academics, Cathy and John both hold Master of Science degrees in Magnetic Resonance Imaging and are both fully-qualified Doctors of Education. In academia this is a key requirement when teaching post-graduates such as radiographers.
These qualifications are important because In addition to mastery of their subject, credible course presenters should be qualified in teaching and learning because that is their role. Anyone who claims to provide educational services (and charges money for those services) must be qualified in education. Anything else is not acceptable and is legally considered fraud. As we explained in the top tab - educational fraud, including fake courses taught by non-qualified "lecturers" affects millions people per year and costs the victims hundreds or thousands of pounds. Please do not fall for this type of scam.

Before applying for any course - simply check to see if the person in charge of the provision (learning company or institute) has a degree in education.

Evidence of their qualifications in education should be (bare minimum) Post Graduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching, or (for teaching post-graduates such as radiographers) EdD (Doctor of Education).

If they do not have that qualification it may not be an issue if they run the company but do not teach - move onto step 2.

Ask for evidence that ALL the faculty for the course in question all have the necessary qualifications as above. Clinical technique sessions are slightly different, these should be taught by a professionally-accredited practice educator (assuming they do not have formal academic qualifications). In the UK they should have undertaken the College of Radiographers (CoR) Practice Educator Accreditation Scheme.

Note that these qualifications are not the same as their qualifications in radiography, or post graduate qualifications in medical imaging. For teaching radiographers and radiologists the qualification should be an EdD or equivalent. A PhD is not an educational qualification per se., but is perfectly acceptable if it is in a relevant field. Don't be fobbed off with vague statements such as "expert in their field" or "clinical experience" those statements apply to may radiographers who have been working for a while but does not automatically make them an educator. What you deserve is a qualified lecturer.

Cathy and John are also both Fellows of the Higher Education Academy. The HEA vision is for students in UK higher education to enjoy the highest quality learning experience in the world and we bring that philosophy to everything we do - including MRI in Practice - The Course.

We are not aware of any other MRI course of this type that is presented by a faculty who are all qualified in both MRI and Education at this level. Please consider this when choosing which MRI course is likely to address your needs. If a course provider is not qualified to teach, it is ethically questionable as to whether they should be selling educational services.