How Long Does it Take to Become a Radiology Tech?
A Radiologic technologist is one of the important members of a group of doctors and physicians who play an essential role in helping medical professionals to diagnose and treat patients. A radiologic technologist is also sometimes referred to as an X-ray tech who uses technical equipment and tools to perform medical examinations like X-rays, Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI, Computed Tomography CT, Mammography, and Bone Densitometry.
If you are interested in technology, love working with people, and want to proceed with a healthcare career in the future, this radiologic technologist profession is an excellent choice for you. Here in this article, we will tell you everything about how to become a radiologist tech. How long does it take, what do you have to do, and what are the requirements you must fulfill to become a professional and successful radiologic technologist?
You can become a professional radiology tech in simply two years and can get a professional job in the field. The education necessary to become a radiologist includes the knowledge of advanced medical terminology and the practice of direct interaction with patients to diagnose them using technological tools.
Let us first look at the details of what courses you take to become a radiologic technologist and what prior education you need to enroll in the program before jumping on towards the steps necessary to become a radiology tech.
What Courses Do You Take To Become A Radiologist Tech?
To become a radiologic technologist, there are some specific courses that you must take to become a professional radiologist tech. The courses are mentioned below.
- You must study general education in Anatomy, English Composition, Communication, Humanities, Mathematics, and Social Sciences.
- You also have to study the courses related to lab work that involve subjects and topics like principles of physics in radiation and other medical terminologies.
- You also have to know about clinical internships in order to become a professional radiologic technologist.
What Prior Education Do You Need to Get Admission In The Radiologic Technologist Program?
The requirements for getting enrolled in a radiology tech program or to study radiologic technologists are different from one course to another. Most of the time, a GED or a high school diploma is considered enough to get enrolled in the program.
But one thing that you must have to keep in mind is that many programs require additional admission steps. The steps could be the minimum cumulative GPA, submitting a personal essay, passing a criminal background check, and providing professional references that will help you get enrolled in the course quickly.
Steps To Become A Radiologic Technician
1. Accredited Radiology Tech Program
The first and foremost important step to becoming a radiology tech is to attend an accredited radiology tech program. The following are the three main ways to get a radiology education.
- Get a bachelor’s degree
- Get an associate degree
- Or get enrolled in a certificate program
- Bachelor’s Degree bold
Getting a bachelor’s degree after completing four years of bachelor education in radiology is one of the best ways to become a radiology tech. A bachelor’s degree in radiology not only provides education related to radiography and health sciences but also includes general courses that will help you later on in your field.
Getting An Associate Degree
This is a two-year degree you can get, and it comes with the name “associate degree in radiography”. The associate degree program teaches the student about the courses of anatomy, physiology, radiology, and other health science-related terminology that will help the student in becoming a professional radiology tech.
Getting A Certificate Program
Certificate programs only take one year to complete. The certificate programs are not recommended because of several drawbacks, but still, if you want to complete radiology studies quickly, you can go with them.
The first and most impacting drawback of taking a certificate program is that employers do not like those who have certificates in radiology because of less and limited education. Moreover, many of the certificate programs are not accredited, which makes them less worthy and less important.
Although all of these courses are ideal for you, it totally depends on whatever path you choose. One thing you always have to make sure of is to attend an accredited program. This is because if the program you have completed for becoming a radiology tech is not an accredited program, you will not be eligible for getting a license after graduation.
2. Getting A Certificate
In order to become a precisional radiologist, you must have a certificate from the American Registry Of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). To earn your certification, you must have an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree in radiography.
The eligibility criteria in order to get certification from ARRT are as follows,
- Sign on to the ARRT ethics code of conduct.
- Make sure you have a bachelor’s degree or an associate degree with you.
- Make sure you have completed an ARRT certification-approved educational program.
After fulfilling the eligibility criteria, you have to take the examination. The examination is a computerized examination, and you have to pay $225 to take the examination in order to get the certificate.
Well, the following are the details of the exam content that you have to give in order to get the certificate that may help you get success in your certification exams. The content of the exam includes the topics,
- Patient Interaction And Management
- Radiation Physics And Radiobiology
- Radiation Protection
- Equipment Operation And Quality Assurance
- Image Acquisition And Technical Evaluation
- Thorax And Abdomen Procedures
- Head, Spine And Pelvis Procedures
- Extremity Procedures
How much time does it take to be an X-ray tech?
To become an X-ray tech, you may have to complete two years of an associate degree or four years of graduation degree, depending upon what you choose. Make sure the course you complete is accredited to get a license to work as an x-ray tech from ARRT.
Where does radiology tech make the most money?
California is the state where radiologic technicians make the most money. The radiologic technician can get a salary of $73568 if working in California. Alternatively, Lowa has the lowest salary of a radiologist technician, and that is $38592.
Which country is best for a radiology job?
The UK is considered one of those countries that offer high-paying jobs for radiologists working there. The average salary per year of a radiologist working in the UK revolves around £ 75949.
Hopefully, you have understood what it takes to become a radiologic tech. Make sure to understand the details mentioned above so you know what steps to take to become a professional in this field. Well, I pay my best regards to the Steward who helped me get the facts and figures about becoming a radiologic tech.
He himself has been working in the field for five years and has gone through all the steps practically to get the degree. He helped me a lot and told me everything about what he has to face and what he has to do in order to become a successful radiologic tech. All my thanks to Steward, who has really proven that he is one of my loyal and best friends.
