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, this is the perfect time to look into radiologic technology schools. Becoming a radiologic technologist may be right for you.
Diagnostic imaging is the primary way to discover what’s going on inside the human body, and it’s’ quickly replacing exploratory surgery and invasive techniques. Imaging also is instrumental in other ways:
More than 300,000 radiologic technologists are certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. According to the jobs website ONet, 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 the United States per year are quite impressive:
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. Starting out, rad techs in the Midwest earn $43,827 to $48,000. Other areas of the U.S., however, may pay more because 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 9% between 2020 and 2030, a faster rate than the average occupation.
That’s good news for radiologic technology schools, especially those offering an applied science degree that focuses on the principles, theories, and techniques and 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 someone who might love the rad tech life, have them check out this blog: 9 Reasons to Become a Radiologic Technologist.
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 a year-round format.
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.
