(General education includes the humanities, physical education, foreign language, and other requirements common to all degrees.) They then spend 1-2 years taking radiology classes and rotating through clinical placements at hospitals and imaging laboratories. This is the typical pathway for techs who want to become college professors, conduct research, or train as radiologist assistants.īachelor’s-level students spend 2-3 years completing their radiology prerequisites and general education courses. With a bachelor’s, it’s much easier to become a lead technician, healthcare administrator, equipment sales manager, or clinical instructor.Ī bachelor’s is also essential if you want to go onto graduate school. Whether you’re already a practicing radiology technician or new to the field, there are several good reasons to consider getting a bachelor’s degree.Ī 4-year degree provides a lot of advancement potential. It is very important to take a JRCERT-accredited training program because it will later qualify you for certification. The Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology ( JRCERT) is the official accrediting body for radiography training programs. Many radiologic technology programs are now also requiring coding or medical office courses, as some jobs will require those skills to be utilized in practice. Most schools require a portion of the curriculum to be hands-on to give students valuable patient contact experience. Common coursework includes radiation physics, anatomy, pathology and radiobiology. Admission to one of these programs comes with its own criteria specific to the school. Some universities offer a bachelor’s degree in radiologic technology. Programs are offered at almost all accredited community colleges and private (for-profit) institutions. This is the most popular path for aspiring radiology techs at this time. Radiology techs are required to earn at minimum an associate degree, which takes two years to complete. In the past, one- or two-year certificate programs were available for radiology technicians, but today those certificate programs only provide a viable path for students who have already earned at least an associate degree in a different subject. A radiology technician typically works a standard 40-hour week, but some positions require on-call night or weekend work.Įarn an associate or bachelor's degree in radiologic technology. While hospitals remain the leading job providers, they also tend to be much busier than outpatient settings. Radiology technicians work in hospitals, clinics, imaging centers, private physician offices or even mobile imaging service centers. Regardless of the level of training - technician or technologist - or specialization, the precision work of these professionals enables physicians to diagnose and treat a wide variety of health concerns with accuracy and confidence. Many radiology technologists specialize in a particular diagnostic test, such as mammography, and those with more than one specialty are considered highly desirable by employers. Radiologic technologists are radiology technicians who have progressed through continued education and training or those who acquired additional training and education before entering the field. A radiology technician may also be responsible for updating patient records and maintaining the imaging equipment itself. Occasionally they inject barium- and iodine-based contrast agents to improve image quality.Īfter focusing the equipment and capturing the images on digital file or film, radiology technicians review the results of their work with radiologists, and take additional views when necessary. For example, they cover parts of the body not being filmed with lead aprons. After instructing patients to remove jewelry, clothing, or other items that could interfere with the equipment, radiology technicians position them correctly and protect them from overexposure. They also play an important role in assuaging the anxieties of patients who may be concerned about the procedure. Technicians prepare patients by explaining each step of the medical imaging process.
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