Become a Rad Tech, (Salary, Job Prospects, Best Paying States)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ค. 2022
- Becoming a Rad Tech including salary and job prospects along with the best states to work in. X-ray Radiologic Technologists (Radiographers) position patients, inject contrast and create diagnostic images in x-ray radiography, and provide imaging during interventional minimally invasive and surgical procedures. X-ray rad techs in the United States have a median salary of $61,370 and the national average salary is $66,490.
Number of Radiologic Technologists in US Average Hourly Wage Average Yearly Salary Expected Growth
216,380 $31.97 $66,490 9% Increase
What are radiology jobs?
A radiologist’s jobs involves reading diagnostic medical images and there are some interventional radiologists who perform minimally invasive surgery. Physicians who pursue this career often are trained to read from multiple modalities including: radiography, ultrasound imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and a computed tomography (CT) technique.
On the other hand when there are images needed, a professional radiologic technologist takes images of the organs within the body. Once an image is created the radiologists can use it for the diagnosis of diseases. It may also be possible to compare patients’ organs to those from a healthy organ. The referring physicians use these images and the radiology reports as a crucial part of their medical and treatment planning for their patients.
Radiology Technician vs Radiologic Technologist
If you are new to the field you maybe searching for different terms as you are more familiar with the term Radiology and the term Technician. Many of these terms are used interchangeably online including: Radiology Technician vs Radiology Technologist vs Radiologic Technician vs Radiologic Technologist vs Radiographer. These terms are often used interchangeably to refer to the same position. Over time the responsibilities have increased and the currently preferred title in the US for x-ray, CT and MRI is Radiologic Technologist.
The term Radiologic Technologists is given for those who have gone through significant training and understand x-ray physics along with patient anatomy and proper patient positioning.
DO NOT refer to a Radiologic technologist as a Radiography Technician or an other variant. Despite the fact that they both can be abbreviated as Rad Tech. Technologists studied long and hard to get earn that title so make sure you use the appropriate one.
Therefore we will be using the term Radiologic technologist and Rad Tech from here forward in this article and not any of these other variations.
In Europe and Asia the term Radiographer is used to describe the same position. This is actually a more straightforward title but since the information in this article is primarily from the United States we will not extensively use the term Radiographer.
To further complicate the naming MRI uses the title MRI technologists and ultrasound uses the title sonographer (in a similar manner to radiographer) and one who images the breast is a mammographer.
What is the average salary for radiologic technologists?
Radiologic technologists in the United States have a national average salary of $66,490. This is for x-ray and CT rad techs and excludes magnetic resonance imaging technologists (MRI technologists), cardiovascular technologists as well as stenographers. Those are additional positions which would require separate training. All of the salary information in this articles comes from searches of the BLS database.
What is the median radiologic technologist salary?
Radiologic technologists in the United States have a national median salary of $61,370. The median value is lower than the mean/average value. This means that there are some technologists who have salaries on the high end and these higher values, these higher salaries are raising the average salary.
This national median rad tech salary is higher than the national median salary for all workers in the US which is about $32,000 per year.
As you will see below there are some areas of the country that have a higher cost of living and those regions need to pay higher salaries to offset the costs for housing, groceries, etc. As with the average radiologic technologist salary this is for x-ray and CT rad techs and does not include magnetic resonance imaging technologists (MRI technologists), cardiovascular technologists or stenographers.
The highest paid states are California, Hawaii and Massachusetts; while the lowest paid states are Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi.
RED FLAG: do not pick a career because of money. pick a career because you see yourself in it and you love it for the rest of your life.
Thanks Prince appreciate the reply. I have tried to add other aspects as well to the discussion. Is there an aspect you would like to know more about?
Honestly a job is a job, even if you pick your hobby or passion it will soon have the same stress as a job (imo worse as it slowly takes away your 'spark' during your free time you will slowly grow to hate it because you bascally sold it off). Choosing a career without researching salary/job propect is more of a red flag too me, ofc if your working soly for salary chances are there are other benefits as well. Ex pay, commute, Off at 5pm, weekends off, workplace evnviroment, insurance...ofc mental well being trumps all
Lol said no one ever
Lol. Sure. Ig if you don't want to eat or have shelter.
I love that you have an entire Chanel dedicated to this. Major help to people like me who are going into this field!
Great to hear Conor, share with your classmates ;)
I am a retired Rad Tech, way before when this new technology. We used to develop films in the darkroom. Nowadays it is so easy no darkroom anymore. Take the x-ray and the film will deliver to the radiologist. My daughter is the one who inherits my career but she's in Nuclear Med.
Why did you daughter go Nuclear med instead of rad tech?
this is such a great video! A student asked me for help finding info on Rad Tech salaries in the US so I sent this video as well as the post from your website. Keep up the great work! You’re helping a lot of future technologists with these excellent videos on your channel!
Thanks for sharing with others and I’m glad it helped
Nice video! I totally agree about Hawaii. The cost of living is so high leading to a high turnover of lots of medical professionals. We often have doctors that try to settle down here but end up moving back to the mainland after a year.
Thanks Troy for complements and glad to hear that you think a normalized salary makes sense. I know you grew up in Hawaii so it makes sense you are there for sure. Also thanks for your great videos on what it’s like being a tech. I learned a lot from them.
@@HowRadiologyWorks mahalo! hopefully u can vacation here sometime 😁🤙
GREAT VIDEO 😊
Thanks 🙏 glad you liked it. See JuanWhoMotivates also for a few reasons not to become a technologist if you haven’t chosen yet. Just so you get the full picture. th-cam.com/video/WMEPTQkq_1o/w-d-xo.htmlsi=pQTr-4KFBchO3nUF
Could you do a video on LMRTs?
Thank you for the info! What are your sources for COL and salaries? Also what about metro? Would going to Seattle be more lucrative despite the higher COL, or would a smaller town in Washington be more lucrative?
Please see the blog post with the links to the sources: howradiologyworks.com/radiologic-technologist-salaries/ . You are right for the metro study I don't have the details so you would need to find the COL for the different locations you are considering. Since Seattle has a particularly high COL I would guess that a smaller town in Washington would be a better tradeoff but please check on the areas you are considering. There are some things that you only see in bigger cities though so I have heard suggestions to try larger hospitals first as it is usually easier to transition from large hospital to clinic than the other way around.
@@HowRadiologyWorks Terrific thanks! Yes I've tried comparing metros, but unfortunately I'm finding that many col calculators do not account for taxes and because Washington has no state income tax I'm finding it very difficult to compare specifically San Francisco and Seattle. Sorry I suppose I am not the best researcher. Would it be too much for me to ask you to compare them and tell me which has the better normalized salary? Btw I'll be graduating soon and as a student I have to say your videos are spot on and the info you provide coincides with the teachings I received thus far. Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of misinformation out there about this profession. Btw I choose those 2 cities because those are the 2 states in the top 10 in interested in. Minnesota and Illinois have winters in really do not care for, and the other 6 states in the top 10 are too "southern/Midwestern" and hot for my taste. Thank you for your quick response!
You will not be able to cross train into US with a RTR . Separate schooling is required. MRI/CT/MAMMO yes
th-cam.com/video/Pfi9zqHMXBQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=fx4oswb1mIdM-NJy , here is a video on cross training
Can you please make a video or any info on radiation therapy please
And your rad physics videos are genuinely intresting
Are you interested in a Radiation Therapist or Dosimestrist? If lots of people like this comment I can consider adding but I am mostly focusing on diagnostic imaging right now
@@HowRadiologyWorks Im currently am in rad tech school and was really looking for a video about salaries that was up to date. Thank you! A video on radiation therapy would be awesome!
Hi there I just found your channel thinking about going back to school for this but I have a question and I have titanium hardware in my back. Would I still be able to become a rad tech or be any kind of technician in the radiology field with this type of hardware. Thank you so much. Any advice would be greatly appreciated by anyone who reads the comments.
I don't know of any limitation due to implanted hardware for being a technologist. It does involve physical work of transferring patients. I suggest to shadow at a local hospital to see how the day to day work it.
Hey, is there any chance that you would make the time for a informational interview regarding radiography? Or do you know anyone that would have the time? Thank you.
What is the context, what would it be used for? Also I’m only an expert in the physics of it and not the procedures side or daily life so probably better to reach out to the local school and see if they can put you in touch with recent graduates.
Can you do modalities and hourly wages ?
I can take a look, anyone else interested in that? Unfortunately CT techs don’t make the most even though they in the best modality
Please do you have information on international radiologic technologist that want to work in the US
Thanks Winnie. That is something I am not an expert on yet. Please let me know specifically what you want to know?
Requirements on how to verify credentials out the US
Following this one
How can an international tech get registered in the US or possibly find a phd position ? I am currently doing my masters and will be looking for opportunities in a few years time. Any information would be helpful. 😃
Sorry I don’t know details about international hiring for technologists. If anyone else does please feel free to add
Hay quá
Thanks what country are you watching from?
@@HowRadiologyWorks Vietnamese
@@realmyna thanks for letting me know
I have a dilemma. I am currently making 99k/year as an account executive for a marketing company. I could start the X-ray program in California (Oakland to be exact) in August 2024, which means I would have to quit my full time job and focus on the X-ray program for 2 years straight. Once hired by a hospital, I would most likely make less than 99k. Is it worth it?
Maybe other viewers can chime in? I agree it would probably not be something for a pay bump. If you can find someone local that does it or someone you can shadow that would help. Sorry this is a personal decision so you will have to weigh the options and see what is best. Good luck 🍀 and let us know what you decide.
Where can I find these charts you have?
Nevermind, couldn’t find it on your website but then I saw you linked it in a comment below! You’re so helpful dude please keep it up! I wonder if you have any stats on X-ray vs CT vs MRI salaries? Or if X-ray is your main concern/expertise
Glad you found it. Also on the website there is a search feature in the upper right so if you can't find something type in salary and it will so up or kVp if you want to find articles on that.
Hi, how can I apply for visa sponsor ship for Radio technologist position
Maybe someone else in the community can comment as this is not my expertise
As a Radiologic Technologist RT(R) (CT) and now CIIP, i can solidly say stay away from this profession! Unless, you enjoy or are a glutton for gross under appreciation, being under payed or disregarded as compared to other medical modalities with equal education requirements (i.e nursing, respiratory and others...). Sure you can formulate the moral argument for pay vs satisfaction, RT is a fascinating field but the reality is quite different on the ground, especially seeing the above disparity on the job. Stay away from Radiologic technology if you'd like a rewarding career.
Thanks Julio for your honesty I appreciate it. Others please weigh in if they agree or disagree with Julio. It is great to hear all sides before deciding on your career path.
No career no salary for Rad tech .he great liar.
Sorry to hear you don’t agree. Are you in the United States? If so which state are you applying, and have you found these numbers off base?
Hey everybody, it’s Kermit here. Let’s talk about radiologic tech!!!
Thanks, I first heard the K.T.F. reference back in middle school. I hope you found something useful on the channel
@@HowRadiologyWorks fuck! You’ve sounded like that since high school! Hard times man. Very informative video my friend. Thanks