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X-ray, CT & MRI
Radiologic Technologist
Getting the image the diagnosis depends on.
Typical pay
$52k-$90k
How you get in
2-year associate plus ARRT certification
Outlook
Steady, with strong demand for CT and MRI
Rad techs position patients and operate imaging equipment to produce diagnostic images. Cross-training into CT, MRI or mammography is where the pay jumps, and most techs specialize within a few years.
A day in the life
- 6:45aCheck the machine's calibration and the day's schedule
- 7:00aPortable chest films on the floors
- 9:30aScheduled outpatient exams
- 12:00pLunch between cases
- 1:00pER traumas — everything else waits
- 3:30pTrauma CT, then finish the outpatient list
How to get in
Associate degree
Duration
2 years
Cost
$8,000-$30,000
Credential
ARRT registration plus state license
- Complete a JRCERT-accredited radiography program
- Finish the clinical hours in a hospital setting
- Pass the ARRT exam and get state licensed
- Cross-train into CT within your first two years
Hospital-based certificate
Duration
24 months
Cost
$3,000-$15,000, sometimes free with a work commitment
Credential
ARRT registration
- Apply to a hospital-run radiography program
- Train inside the hospital rather than a college
- Pass the ARRT
- Often includes a hiring commitment, which is the point
Bachelor's degree
Duration
4 years
Cost
$40,000-$120,000
Credential
BS plus ARRT registration
- Complete a four-year radiologic science program
- Get the same ARRT credential
- Enter with a faster route to management or education roles
- Not required for clinical work — the associate is the standard
What people love
- · Two-year degree to a solid salary
- · Cross-training raises pay significantly
- · Shift options including nights and weekends only
- · Every hospital needs them
What wears people down
- · Radiation exposure, managed but real
- · Lifting and repositioning immobile patients
- · On-call rotations
- · Pay plateaus without adding modalities