How Much Does a Radiologic Technician Make?
Radiology technicians must be licensed by an accrediting board. As a technician you would primarily work with non-radioactive substances to X-ray portions of the body that cause a patient or client pain or other symptoms. You would be required to operate computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment to take the images of isolated parts of a patient's body. After the images are taken, as a technician, you will work with physicians to diagnose medical conditions and offer workable treatments to patients. Hospitals, nursing homes and community clinics are places that hire radiology technicians.
New Technicians and the Bottom 5 Percent
The American Society of Radiology Technologists (ASRT) reports that the annual salary for the bottom 5 percent of radiology technicians is below $30,000. Newly licensed technologists with less than two years of working experience earn about $37,000 a year. Newly licensed and trained senior technicians can earn an average of $43,000 to $48,000. More senior positions like program directors can earn as much as $64,000 or more a year depending on the salary guidelines at the medical facility where they are employed. You might be able to raise your salary by going back to school and taking an advanced course in anatomy, physiology, pathology or medical terminology.
Average Annual Salary Range
The ASRT and Salary.com report that the median salary ranges for radiology technicians is $42,400 to $58,000. If you work with a hospital or medical facility that pays significantly higher than the national median, you can increase your chances of enjoying a more financially profitable career. Technicians who continue to improve and expand their professional training might be qualified to teach at a postsecondary school after they cease to work hands-on as a radiology technician.
Salaries for the Top 5 Percent
The top 5 percent of radiology technicians earn over $90,000 a year according to the ASRT. These salaries tend to be for more experienced technicians who have been practicing the skill for several years. Technicians who fill senior level positions like radiation therapists, chief CAT scan technologists and lead nuclear medicine technologists also tend to receive the higher salaries.
Certification Salaries
The ASRT reports that technicians who continue their medical education and who keep their registration with the American Registry of Radiological Technologists current earn higher salaries than technicians who end their training soon after gaining their license. If you have a certificate, continue your education and keep your registration current, you can earn approximately $56,400 without a four-year college degree. If you have a Bachelor's degree, you can earn as much as $63,000 a year.
Consideration
As a radiology or X-ray technician, the minimum education you are required to have is a high school diploma and a certificate or license, or you must have an associate's degree. Technicians who have a Bachelor's degree typically earn higher salaries than technicians with a lesser degree or no postsecondary degree. Training and licensing institutions are accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education Radiology Technology (JRCERT). Before you can work as a radiology technician in most states in America, you must be licensed.
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