Radiology Tech Career

By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: January 25th, 2010

Where are Radiology Techs employed?

Radiology Techs can work in a variety of settings including hospitals, health clinics, diagnostic imaging centers, and orthopedic offices. Sometimes X-ray Techs work at two types of the previously mentioned facilities and other times they are just located at one.

These professionals can also sign up for traveling positions which allow them to go to whichever facility has a staffing need. Typically Radiology Technician Careers

in these situations the radiology tech stays about 13 weeks in one location, but of course this can vary. They are usually given a wage, plus travel expenses, and a generous stipend to live on during their 13 or so weeks at each job.

Learn more about radiology technician schools.

Do Radiology Techs also engage in “on call” work?

While typical Radiology Techs do not participate in “on call” work, those who specialize in CT scans oftentimes take call. There are X-ray Techs who work night shifts so they are there for any emergency situations.

What specializations are there in this profession?

There are several specializations a radiology tech can branch into such as MRI, CT, and angiography. These fields do not typically require extra schooling but rather additional training. Usually a Radiology Tech learns these specialization skills on the job once there is an opening in one of these areas. There is a national registry exam available for both CT and MRI, but not all facilities require their techs to be certified in order to practice in these fields.

Learn more about radiology technician salary.

Mammography is another specialty that in some states, such as California, requires taking a 40 hour accredited course, being supervised while conducting 25 exams and passing a state exam. There is also a national test offered in mammography but taking this test is oftentimes not a requirement if the tech is licensed in their state.

Nuclear Medicine is another specialty that requires additional schooling from an accredited program and passing the national board exam. Technologists cannot be cross-trained on the job in this specialty field.

These areas usually involve more invasive procedures such as venipuncture, and reviewing the scans afterwards to see if more needs to be done. The tech also interacts with the radiologist to determine if further action needs to be taken.

Who do Radiology Techs report to?

Typically radiologic technologists report to lead radiologic technologists (RTs). These lead RTs also perform x-rays but serve a dual role as a supervisor to other, typically less experienced, radiology techs.

Learn more about radiology technician degrees.

What other medical professionals do Radiology Techs work with?

Radiology Techs work with a variety of other healthcare professionals including other radiology techs, radiologists, nurses, front desk personnel, supervisors, and emergency room personnel. This is one of the reasons effective communication and teamwork is so important in this field since all healthcare professionals work together to provide the best possible care to the patient.

In working with radiologists (commonly referred to as “RADs”), radiology techs send their images via computer to these doctors who specialize in interpreting them. The radiologist dictates a report that is entered into a computer system so the requesting physician can access it. There are instances where if an x-ray is taken at night, and the results are straightforward, the on-call physician will just dictate a report.

X-ray techs typically do not write any notes with their x-rays but rather just pass the images on to the radiologist. Often the radiology tech will spend time with the radiologist, if possible, to learn more about findings on the images. The radiologist then passes their report on to the requesting physician without the actual x-ray images. However, orthopedic surgeons are the exception in that they typically need to review the images for surgery preparation, along with the report.