One of the tremendous benefits of becoming a radiologic technologist is how well a radiographer degree fits in with today’s health care industry. Double-digit career growth for the next decade? Absolutely. Good starting salary? It’s there. To get yourself at the top of the job applicant pool after graduation, here are 3 key actions to take while completing your radiologic technologist education.
1. Work Hard to Develop the Soft Skills
You likely decided on a radiologic technologist education because you instinctively know your way around technology and computerized equipment, so you might be tempted to get hyper-focused in that direction. That’s part of what getting a radiographer degree is all about.
Yet once you’re working in a hospital, medical clinic, or trauma department, employers will be watching how well you interact with patients and other medical personnel. That’s where soft skills make a difference.
The phrase “soft skills“refers to personal abilities, like inspiring patients to trust your positioning instructions, to feel your concern for their situation, and to understand the next step in their medical care.
To be the best imaging professional you can be, continually check your progress on this list of soft skills before every class and lab and in every patient scenario:
Your ability to excel in these areas will have your employer trying to find more workers just like you.
2. Be Ready for the Next New Innovation
Few professions are changing as fast as medical imaging, so master the theories and principles behind the expertise you’ll have with a radiographer degree.
Being mentally ready for rapid change will allow you to adapt more easily as best practices and new techniques work themselves into the radiologic technology profession. Want to get a glimpse of the future? Take a quick look…and be ready for it!
3. After Your Radiographer Degree, Think About Where You Want to Go
Employers need certified and registered radiologic technologists in hospitals, medical clinics, in group physician practices, mobile imaging facilities, and surgery and trauma centers.
The culture and pace of activity in each practice type is different. To maximize your radiologic technologist education, ask about getting all kinds of work experiences before graduation. You’ll be more confident in your abilities, and you’ll have a better idea of the workplace that fits you best.
After you have that radiographer degree and are in the workforce, you’ll have opportunities to specialize in areas such as CT (computed tomography), nuclear medicine, mammography, and cardiac-interventional radiography. If you haven’t yet checked it out, read about the certifications available once you’ve begun your radiologic technology career.
Radiologic Technologist Education at Cleveland University-Kansas City
At Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC), we understand our students want to excel in a health care profession that is both highly respected and needed. That’s why we used our nearly 100 years of experience as educators in chiropractic and the health sciences to create our radiologic technologist (radiographer degree) program.
The CUKC program is designed to deliver an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Radiologic Technology degree in as little as two years.
CUKC is a private, nonprofit, healthcare-focused university located in Overland Park, Kansas. At CUKC, our radiologic technologist education offers
To learn more about the CUKC radiographer degree and the radiologic technology profession, download this free ebook: Your Complete Guide to a Career as a Radiologic Technologist.
