x ray technician? what do i need to do?

Question

what does it take to be an x ray tech? is it a good career option? im looking for something in the healthcare feild but i need to work soon. i can spend 6 or 8 years in college. once you graduate from the program can you only practice in that state or can you move?

Answer 1

Radiographers, sonographers, and MRI technologists need at least a two-year associate's degree. One-year certificate programs are intended for those who have already completed a course of study in another area of medical technology or health care, such as practical or vocational nursing. If you wish to move into supervisory or administrative roles in the radiology and imaging department of a clinic, laboratory, or hospital, a bachelor's or even master's degree in a field related to health care is often required.

Course work emphasizes the interaction between various forms of energy and the tissues of the body as well as a practical understanding of the conditions that are diagnosed through these techniques. Common among the course work required of all medical technologists are basic anatomy, physiology, microbiology, professional ethics, and medical terminology.

The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) maintains standards to which all programs in medical technology are held. Visit CAAHEP's website to find out which institutions near you are accredited in diagnostic medical sonography.

Another route to earning a position in this field is through the Military, which offers specialized training programs of its own. To move into the civilian medical-technologist workforce, military-trained technologists often have only to pass the certification examinations required for employment in their area. Nursing school graduates can also move into medical-technology careers, often by building on their nursing training with certificate or one-year programs specific to the medical technologies they wish to use.

Advancement proceeds through three basic steps. Medical technicians or technician assistants are usually at the entry level. For those careers that allow on-the-job training, this is where you'll get your start. Technologists are those professionals with more experience or education.

Most organizations employ senior technologists who have a great deal of experience and education in several related technologies. Senior technologists oversee the operations of radiology or technology departments in large hospitals and clinics. Thorough familiarity with the technology is still crucial for dealing with the job’s technical and personnel issues.

Medical technicians and technologists of all kinds develop skills that can be transferred to careers in Nursing, Emergency Services, and Therapy & Rehabilitation. Finally, some technologists use their knowledge in Sales and Marketing. They find work as technical-service reps, equipment salespeople, pharmaceutical salespeople, and technology-marketing specialists.

Answer 2

You can go through a 2 year program based in a hospital to earn a certificate, go to a community college or technical school to get an associate degree, or a 4 year program at a university or college to earn a bachelor's degree. The most important thing in choosing a school is that is is accredited. You can find schools here: http://jrcert.org/cert/Search.jsp or http://arrt.org/index.html?content=http://www.arrt.org/nd/listOfSchools.ndm/listSchools&iframe=yes (choose "Radiography")

Go here for additional info: http://www.asrt.org/content/recruitmentretention/career_brochure.aspx

Answer 3

It apparently doesn't take that long to get a certification. My sister-in-law works as an assistant at a dental office, and they sent her to school to get certified as an x-ray tech. It hardly took her any time at all, not years by any means. She also had to go to school to get certified as a dental assistant, but that didn't take her all that long either. She intends to go to school to become an actual dental hygienist, which will take much longer, but she is already doing the x-ray job, and that didn't take her long at all.

Answer 4

Best to ask the professoinals about this.