Pursuing fields, you are passionate about is fantastic. The individuals following their passions are the trendsetters opening new ways to see out of the box and bringing advancement in their field of work. Here to empower you, we will cover all about radiologist technicians, especially the whole journey of becoming a radiologist technician. So let’s get started.

Who is a radiologist technician?

A radiologist technician is an advanced medical professional who specializes in medical imaging procedures. These procedures help diagnose patient conditions, any broken bone or injury, and treat them or make a treatment plan for them.

Radiologists are different from radiographers, although both are medical professionals. Radiographers are the ones who operate machinery, and radiologists treat humans.

There are two types of Radiologists:

• Diagnostic Radiologists
• Medical Physicists

What do they do?

Radiologists work in different places such as universities, clinics/clinical practices, and hospitals. Radiologists are highly trained to keep people safe from the harmful and abnormal effects of radiation, therapy, etc.

• Diagnose patient conditions
• Treat patient illness with various methods
• Medical imaging procedures
• Analyze patient’s imaging procedures

Specialization of the radio technicians

Here are some radiologists’ specialties that will help you choose if you want to become a radiologist.

Diagnostic

Specialize in diagnosing and treating injuries using medical imaging radiology procedures such as computer tomography (CT), recommend a treatment plan, and instruct.

• X-rays
• Ultrasounds
• Electromagnetic radiation

Radiation

Radiation is used to treat cancer. They also share that if the treatment plan is suitable for the client, they are not expecting any abnormal side effects.

Interventional

Radiology technicians produce precise and accurate body images, enabling physicians to diagnose and treat medical conditions.

More: Ba or Bs in Psychology for Clinical Psychology

How long does it take to become a radiologist technician?

Technicians no longer exist in radiology today as they were considered limited license technicians. This meant they could not do all exams in the field, only a limited number. Today, most technologists have a degree, either AA or BS, permitting complete body radiology exams and fluoroscopy. With that, you must have about two years of prerequisites to get into any radiology program and two years of actual program work and clinical time that is required. So in total, about four years, unless you plan to learn a secondary modality like CT or MRI or mammography, then it will be even longer. (minimum four years)

You might need to know this: How Long Does it Take to Become a Radiologist?

How much does a radiologist technician make?

In the medical field, the Radiologist Career is the most popular carrier and is growing so fast. The average salary of a radiologist technician was $37000

Base graduate radiographer pay will be around the $60,000 mark depending on whether you are employed by the state health department or a private company. Usually, you can get more if you work in rural and remote areas that use higher wages to draw graduates out of the cities. If required to work nights/weekends, there is usually extra pay associated. On-call work is another way to earn extra. Working as a locum provider with an agency making temporary contracts will pay more, but those contracts can be inconsistent.

Is becoming a radiology technician hard?

Many people think that becoming radiology is very hard, but it is not as hard as everyone thinks. But yes, it is a bit stressful as there are a few challenges for radiologist technicians. This job is physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding, it takes a lot of time, and you must be hard working if you want to be a Radiologist Technician.

Radiologist Technician’s Problems: 

Pathogens Exposure

As a radio technologist, there is a high probability you will have daily exposure to blood and airborne pathogens. Here precatory measures must be taken to avoid diseases coming with these toxic pathogens.

Accidental needle sticks insertions

During treatment, there is a high chance of getting a needle stick in yourself instead of a patient. Occasionally due to sudden patient reflexes during needle stick treatment. Be careful as a clean needle stick needs reporting while the dirty needle sticks call for immediate treatment as you never know what the patient carries within his blood. Ensure your safety first!

Emotional Trauma

Working as a radiologist technician is both exciting as well as exhausting. But there is a time when you have to deal with severe cases. Such cases can leave dark impacts on your mind and body. At those times you must act strong and uphold your emotional state.

Radiation Exposure due to substandard equipment

As radiation technologists never compromise on the equipment quality. If the protective barriers are not strong then a radio technologist soon you will be facing the after-effects of exposure to radiation continuously.

Is it worth being a Radiologist technician?

The work of a radiologist technician is very engaging and exciting. Stressful and overwhelming at times. Sometimes skills, assumptions, and expectations are challenged.

Bringing a radiologist is a gratifying, advanced career. More likely it is a trendy career in the medical field if you want to be a radiologist technician and want to decide about it, so all these points will help make a decision.

Pros of Radiologist Technician

• Good salary over $20000:
  • One of the best aspects of radio technicians is financial stability as their salary is over $2000 for fresh graduates it increases as per the experience of radiologists.
• Opportunities:
  • There are plenty of employment opportunities waiting for radiologists and the problem you might have is choosing which one to focus on.
• Fast-growing field

• Research and advancement
• Job Stability

Cons of Radiologist Technician

• Time-Taking
• Work at night for patient/long hours
  • The work shifts can be very long, not to mention that you may even be required to work during holidays and weekends.
• Stress full some time
  • When you work late night shifts or on weekends and on holidays it might be stressful and you will be angry or maybe want to left work.

List of universities for radiologist tech post-graduation studies 

The following list has the institutes with the best graduation rates with low net prices per year.

As a higher graduation rate of any institution marks a safer end for students’ future endeavors and the best fee rates make sure that affordability is also maintained alongside the degree.

1. State Technical College of Missouri

• State Technical College of Missouri, abbreviated locally as State Tech, is a public technical school in Linn, Missouri. In 2018, the college saw its highest enrollment at 1,483 students for the 2018–2019 school year and there were about 600 graduates in May 2019.
• Fee $8071 per year

2. Northwest Lowa Community College

• Northwest Iowa Community College is a public community college in Sheldon, Iowa. It opened in 1966 and is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The college is located on a 269-acre campus one mile west of Sheldon.
• Fee $10,278 per year

3. Mitchell Technical Institute

• Mitchell Technical College is a public technical school with its main campus in Mitchell, South Dakota. Mitchell Tech was founded in 1968. 
• It offers 35 associate degree programs and 15 certificate programs.
• Fee $10,885 per year

4. Ball State University

• Ball State University is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers and Indianapolis.
• Fee $13,535 per year

5. Maine College of Health Professionals   

• The Maine College of Health Professions is a private college in Lewiston, Maine, affiliated with Central Maine Medical Center. It was founded in 1891 and began granting associate degrees in 1977, taking its current name in 2014.
• Fee $16,795             

X-Ray Technician Program Costs

Furthermore, if you want to pursue a further program like x-ray technician and give your resume a top-notch record and also make value for the fee you pay. Following is the list of some institutes from different cities which you can choose from: 

1. NJ (New Jersey)

Mercer County Community College	$6,567
Middlesex County College	$6,207
Passaic County Community College	$8,482

2. NYC (New York)

CUNY Hostos Community College	$5,628
CUNY LaGuardia Community College	$7,340
CUNY New York City College of Technology	$4,652

3. Ohio

Marion Technical College	$5,819
Mercy College of Ohio	$19,671
North Central State College	$4,279

4. Louisiana 

Delgado Community College	$3,557
Fortis College-Baton Rouge	$15,264
Louisiana State University Alexandria	$5,337

5. Georgia

Albany State University	$2,880
Athens Technical College	$3400
Atlanta Technical College	$8,075

6. California

California State University, Northridge	$6,544
Cañada College	$1,334
Chaffey College	$1,778

Difference between radiologist technician degree and radiologist degree

Radiologist Technician	Radiologist
A qualified professional assists radiologists and other doctors by taking radiological images and analyzing them for diagnosis of disease and treatment.	A radiologist is a medical doctor who treats patients’ illnesses using radiological technology.

Key Takeaways

A radiologist technician is an exciting and exhausting carrier. By pursuing passion you can become one within four to five years. The growth and employment opportunities are enormous with a bright carrier but only if being a radiologist technician is your passion.

FAQs

How can I get a radiology technician degree online?

It is preferred to do radiologist technological programs on campus as practical work and side-by-side implementation is required but if you have an associate program degree in radiology you can pursue post-graduation in radiology technology online. These online programs are designed as bridge programs or transfer programs. They include certification and advanced coursework for a better career in the future.

Which type of radiology technologist makes the most money?

Radiology techs make money in order of their expertise and certifications. As one has more certifications in X-rays, computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, fusion imaging, and ultrasound they will make more money. So the radiologist techs with more certifications make the most money.

How difficult are online programs in radiology?

Online radiologist tech programs are difficult for those who find practical knowledge more associated with their day-to-day learning. As overall radiologist tech is considered a hard degree. Its online courses will seem even more difficult without any practical learning. One way you can be safely enrolled in an online radiology tech program is by making sure it has a higher graduation rate.