Are part time jobs as radiology technician easy to find?

Question

I am interested in becoming a radiology technician but I want to do it part time. Are part time jobs easy to find? No more than 20 hours a week.

Also, how hard is the 2 year program? I was told it goes on all year round including summer. I was also told I would spend all day learning this stuff as if it was a full time job during the training part. I also want to know what kind of homework I would have to do.

Could you explain these things?

Is this job very demanding or is it laid back?

thanks

Answer 1

You ask hard questions. You can generally find a job as a rad tech either FT, PT, or contingent.

I don't know how to describe how hard it is. This obviously will be different for everybody. But yes, it is very challenging. And yes, it is usually 40 hours per week for 2 years - like a full time job without the pay.

Demanding or not - depends on where you work. If you work at a quiet podiatrist's office x-raying feet all day, you might think it's laid back. If you work in a big trauma hospital, you might think it's demanding.

As for homework, these are the types of classes you would have to take:

Anatomy and Physiology: general anatomy and anatomical relationships, organ and system functions and relationships, and cross sectional anatomy in order to perform accurate radiographic examinations.

Medical Ethics: ethical and legal considerations which impact upon the practice.

Medical Terminology: an understanding of abbreviations, symbols, terms, and phrases necessary to communicate with other professionals involved in patient care.

Patient Care: attention to and concern for, the physical and psychological needs of the patient undergoing the radiographic examination.

Radiologic Positioning: proper beam-part-film alignment with respect to source of radiation and area to be examined.

Radiographic Exposure: appropriate selection of all technical factors to produce a diagnostic quality radiograph.

Radiographic Pathology: knowledge of disease, anomalies and abnormalities which influence performance of radiographic procedures.

Radiographic Physics: atomic structure, beam quality, radiation interactions, the function and operation of various generator components.

Radiation Protection: the use of beam restrictive devices, patient shielding techniques, proper screenfilm combinations, accurate assessment and implementation of appropriate exposure factors as well as a working understanding of governmental regulations.

Radiation Biology: understanding of beam formation and radiation interaction with matter as it relates to genetic and somatic effects.

You would probably need these types of prerequisites before being accepted into a rad tech program:

Intermediate Algebra
Human Anatomy/Physiology
English Composition II
Speech Communication
Introduction to Political Science
Principles of Sociology
Microcomputer Applications
Recommended: Geometry, Medical Terminology, Physics, Psychology

You can find more info here: http://www.asrt.org/content/abouttheprofession/_AboutTheProfession.aspx

You can find accredited schools here: http://arrt.org/index.html?content=http://www.arrt.org/nd/listOfSchools.ndm/listSchools&iframe=yes

FYI: I find the term "technician" to be very demeaning. I am a radiologic technologist.

Answer 2

in my opinion, that is much to serious a job that they would be hiring part-time employees to fill the position.

the job itself may be laid back, but you always have to be on top of your game as anyone working in a medical center would be. I'm sure working to become a radiology tech will be demanding (college, etc.).

It will involve knowing the body inside and out. remember that you could have someone rushed into the ER with broken bones and severe injuries and you have to know exactly what to do in order to not increase the injury... especially anything related to the spine or neck.

however it is a great profession to look into. my younger sister is starting her college career to become a radiology tech... she's researched into and they're recieving better salaries year in and year out.

Answer 3

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a part time job. This is a career that requires intense training and people don't study it just to work part time.

Volunteering or have an apprenticeship is a different story. As long as you can find an X ray tech who wouldn't mind someone shadowing her, you'd gain some insight and experience with the job. Consider it an unpaid internship.

Answer 4

part time jobs radiology technician easy find