Getting ahead in life is everyone’s goal. When you’re interested in a career that’s a major part of making healthcare better, a two-year radiologic technology school may be what you’re searching for.
Get Excited about a Career in Medical Imaging
You may think of medical imaging as only X-rays. Still, this ground-breaking healthcare field extends to computed tomography (CT scanning), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), fluoroscopy (X-rays to obtain real-time moving images body’s interior), and C-arm technology used in surgeries. Physicians use diagnostic scans instead of invasive procedures or exploratory surgeries.
Every year, radiologic technologists, often called rad techs, perform more than 433 million X-ray, MRI, CT, and radiation therapy procedures for patients of all ages. As a report in Kaiser Healthcare News notes, “Imaging has been a crucial tool for better diagnosis and effective cures.”
A nationwide survey of physicians in Health Affairs stated CT and MRI scanning are an important modem medical innovation, “one that outranks other significant innovations like angioplasty, laparoscopic surgery, and joint replacement.”
Radiologic Technologist: A Healthcare Specialist
The main responsibility of a radiologic technologist is to create specific images of patients’ bodies using various medical equipment. These highly detailed images help doctors diagnose and treat diseases and injuries.
In an accredited, comprehensive radiologic technology school, students learn anatomy, exam techniques, patient positioning, and how to set up, adjust, and operate diagnostic imaging equipment. In the imaging suite, the rad tech is responsible for keeping everyone safe.
It’s a Career Focusing on Technology and Patients
It’s true that mastering imaging technology is an essential part of radiologic technology school, although many rad tech students join this career because it also requires high-level patient interaction. In many scenarios, such as with traumatic injuries, a physician may send a patient directly to the imaging department.
That means the radiologic technologist may be among the first healthcare team members patients encounter. Patients may be in pain, frightened by an unfamiliar scanning procedure, or both. And because patients may range from a young child to a senior adult, it’s essential the radiologic technologist know how to show empathy and gain the patient’s trust. Rad techs often need to position the patient in specific ways to obtain the diagnostic image requested by a doctor.
The best radiologic technology degree programs integrate patient-care techniques and best practices into their curriculum. Expect radiologic technology schools to have instructors with real-world imaging experience who can help students master the “soft skills” so necessary in meeting customer service expectations:
Radiologic Technology School: A Two-year Degree
If you have concerns about the time (and money) it takes to earn a college degree, it’s good to know that students can earn an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Radiologic Technology in two years. This is possible because of the applied nature of the A.A.S. degree, which emphasizes practical learning in a concentrated, skill-based curriculum.
A specific number of general education and prerequisite courses comes first, and then students advance into professional rad tech courses. A rad tech student’s education includes traditional classes, group learning, and hands-on practice in on-campus labs.
When specific competencies are demonstrated, students can move on to experiences in area clinics and imaging centers as early as the second semester.
Demand for Diagnostic Imaging Translates into Competitive Pay
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the radiologic technologist profession grows 13% from 2019 to 2029. After two years in radiologic technology school, new rad techs can earn a salary ranging from $45-$47,000 per year.
Certified rad techs with experience have an average salary between $50,285 and $60,601, according to the data site Salary.com.
Become a Radiologic Technologist at CUKC
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC) is a nonprofit, private, healthcare-focused university in Overland Park, Kansas, a suburb of more than 190,000 residents within the Kansas City metro.
CUKC offers an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Radiologic Technology degree most of our students complete in two years. This hands-on degree program provides students with the education needed to become certified, registered radiologic technologists who meet American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) standards.
What you’ll like about radiologic technology school at CUKC:
For more on the CUKC radiologic technology school, request information from an academic advisor, and learn more about the profession by getting a free eBook, Your Complete Guide to a Career as a Radiologic Technologist.
