When you’re not where you want to be work-wise, perhaps a little R&R is a good idea. No, not rest and recreation, but recharge and refocus – so you can make a move to a radiologic technologist program. Imaging technology is quickly replacing exploratory surgeries and invasive procedures, which means a two-year medical imaging degree can provide precisely the career boost you’re seeking.
Yes, This Healthcare Associate Degree is for You
It’s a long job title, for sure, but becoming a radiologic technologist – also known as radiographer – is easier to navigate when your degree program has career professionals as instructors. Like a nursing-type program, there’s much to learn and it takes an ability to understand the sciences, but if you’re eager to learn, the technical aspects can be taught.
“If you can master your smartphone or program your remote,” some will say, “a two-year medical imaging degree is doable.”
The Healthcare Sector Loves What Rad Techs Can Do
There’s a good reason graduates of a radiologic technologist program have a 95.4% placement rate within six months of certification: “rad tech technology” is helping physicians diagnose conditions and disorders faster and more accurately.
Conventional X-rays, for example, are limited in how they see the body’s soft tissues – tendons, ligaments muscles, nerves, etc. Phase-contrast X-ray imaging (PCI)is more sensitive to density variations so that it can provide the contrast required that helps diagnose soft-tissue areas. Researchers believe PCI can be useful to see tumors at very early stages of formation. PCI could also help cancer surgeons examine tissue samples while in the operating room and be confident that cancer margins have been achieved.
Other imaging technologies that reveal the human body in new ways:
As you can see, “imaging” is at the center of getting a more accurate diagnosis and improved medical treatment. For the majority of those obtaining a medical imaging degree, the starting point is to become a radiologic technologist (radiographer). From there, “rad techs” earn other credentials, such as for MRI, Sonography, and Computed Tomography (CT).
Is Earning a Medical Imaging Degree Worth it?
Medical imaging careers are so diverse, growing so fast, and so needed, becoming a radiologic technologist deserves a good look.
Employment growth is projected at 9% through 2028, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) puts the average national wage for experienced radiologic technologists at more than $62,700 per year. Newly certified rad techs earn salaries in the $45,000 to $48,000 range.
CUKC Radiologic Technologist Program
At Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC), we understand that our students want to excel in a healthcare profession that is highly respected and needed. That’s why we used our nearly 100 years of experience as educators in chiropractic and the health sciences to help create our radiologic technologist program. It’s a set up to deliver an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Radiologic Technology degree in just two years.
CUKC is a nonprofit, healthcare-focused, private university located in Overland Park, Kansas. At CUKC, the radiologic technologist program offers
To learn more about healthcare associate degrees, the rise of the medical imaging degree, and what’s involved in a radiologic technologist program, download the free ebook, Your Complete Guide to a Career as a Radiologic Technologist.
