Monday, December 27, 2010

Become A Radiology Technician In Illinois

Radiology technicians work in radiology and imaging labs performing a variety of tasks. Taking x-rays for injured patients and providing radiation therapy for people afflicted with cancer are just two of the tasks that are part of their job. Since radiation can be hazard to a person’s health in large dozes, it is critical that radiology technicians have the proper training. This is why there are several steps involved when learning become a radiology technician in Illinois.


Instructions


1. Find a radiology technician program at a college or university. Completing an educational program in radiology is a requirement to become certified in the state of Illinois. There are four colleges that offer radiology in Illinois, which generally is a two-year program. These include Rend Lake College, Lewis and Clark Community College, Southwestern Illinois College and Kishwaukee College. While it is not mandatory to graduate from one of these four schools to become a radiology technician in Illinois, it can save money for students who are already residents of the state and qualify for in-state tuition rates.


2. Apply for admission to the program of your choice. Once you have decided which of the four colleges in Illinois to attend to get your degree in radiology, you can apply for admission and work towards completing the admission requirements. For most programs in Illinois this includes completing prerequisite classes and passing a physical exam. You should apply early since admission to Illinois radiology programs occurs only in the fall.


3. Complete radiology program including clinicals. Some states require graduates of radiology programs to complete clinicals before becoming licensed. The state of Illinois is different as they have built clinicals into their radiology programs. This allows students to be ready for licensing after graduation without any additional steps.


4. Apply for an Illinois radiology license and register to take the state exam. Illinois is one of the states where a license is required for radiology technicians. The application to become licensed in Illinois is the same form used to register for the state licensing exam. Registering for the exam must be done at least 40 days before the actual date of the test. You can register and pay the $100 exam fee and the $100 license application fee through the website of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, which oversees the licensing and registration for radiology technicians in Illinois.


5. Pass the state exam and become a radiology technician in Illinois. The final step after applying for a license in Illinois and registering for the state test is to actually take and pass the test. Once this is complete you can become a licensed radiology technician and begin working in Illinois.

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