Radiologic Technologist School: Get the Inside Story

Communications Staff

While the Thanksgiving holiday deserves most of the attention in November, the first week of November is National Radiologic Technology Week. This event honors the discovery of the X-ray on Nov. 8, 1895. For those seeking an in-demand career with a high-growth outlook, It’s the perfect time to look into radiologic technology schools. Becoming a radiologic technologist may be right for you.

Why is Radiologic Technology Week Worth Celebrating? 

To discover precisely what’s going on inside the human body, diagnostic imaging is quickly replacing exploratory surgery and invasive techniques. Most people know imaging is used to “see” organs and structures inside the body. Imaging also is instrumental in other ways:

• Cancer screenings
• Bone density testing
• Finding sources of infection
• Determining the location of tumors
• Diagnosing arthritis, blocked blood vessels, and digestive tract problems.

Behind the Numbers: Radiologic Technology School Graduates

There are more than 300,000 radiologic technologists certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. According to ONet, an online jobs database, 63% of radiologic technologists choose the two-year Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S. degree) as their college degree pathway.

What types of things do radiologic technology school grads do? The numbers posted by rad techs and other imaging professionals in a year’s time are quite impressive:

• 7 million computed tomography (CT) procedures
• 8. million magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) procedures
• 5 million nuclear medicine scans
• 2 million radiation therapy treatments starts
• 7 million X-ray procedures in the U.S.

Does a Rad Tech Career a Fit Someone You Know?

Big numbers, however, don’t convey how important medical imaging truly is. The New England Journal of Medicine puts it this way: medical imaging is one of the top medical developments of the past 1,000 years.

According to Salary.com the national wage for experienced radiologic technologists is $55,449. Compensation typically increases in geographic areas where the need for rad techs is high, such as Texas, Florida, California and New York state. As the population ages and new imaging technologies emerge, the employment of radiologic technologists is anticipated to grow at 12% between 2018 and 2028, a faster rate than the average occupation.

That’s good news for radiologic technology schools, especially those offering a two-year applied science degree that focuses on the principles, theories, and techniques that gets students professionally educated and fully prepared for this expanding workforce.

Rad techs work behind the scene in the healthcare economy. Let’s give these healthcare professionals their weeklong celebration. And if you know family members or friends who might love the rad tech life, have them check out this blog: 9 Reasons to Become a Radiologic Technologist.

Discover Your Radiologic Technology School: CUKC

Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a nonprofit, private, healthcare-focused university located in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kansas. Our rad tech students earn their Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Radiologic Technology degree in as little as two years through an accelerated degree format.

• Students receive hands-on training in CUKC’s on-campus radiologic equipment rooms, two demonstration suites, and by clinical experience in a network of clinical sites
• Class starts for the radiologic technology program launch in spring and fall.

Students completing their prerequisite coursework at CUKC have guaranteed admission to the radiologic technology degree program, provided all other University and program criteria are satisfactory.

Request information today about the CUKC radiologic technology program here, and be sure to download this new, free ebook: Your Complete Guide to a Career as a Radiologic Technologist.