a few questions about after school...

954heat · Joined: 29 Sep 2007 Posts: 21

ok...so i have a few questions and stuff...where do i begin...i was wondering about like ct and mri and nuc med and stuff like that. i've been hearing that its hard to find a job doing xray especially here in south florida so i figure it would be easier if i had more stuff under my belt like mri or ct right? so what are my questions? ok lets see like how do u go about doin mri. like i heard you can cross train or go back to school i think i heard its like 4 months more of school so oh yea like say right after school i dont wanna get a job doin xray and go to school to do mri would it be possible for me to be a mri tech havin never worked as a rad tech? oh man i just confusing myself by writing to much lol i just have so many questions..sorry but if anyone can kinda see the direction im goin in and what im tryin to ask thanks

Sidney · Joined: 01 Dec 2006 Posts: 55

You pretty much have to go to school and become a radiographer before you can specialize in CT, MRI, Nuc Med, etc. I know in my state, you CAN become an MRI tech without having a rad tech license, but unless an applicant is already an RT, they won't be considered for an MRI position. They have enough applicants that are RTs to choose from.

Other than that, as far as I know, no Nuc Med school, Ultrasound school will really consider accepting students that aren't already an RT. I'd say it's next to impossible to get anywhere without a license, because there are already so many people WITH licenses that want to do these things.

HTH!

954heat · Joined: 29 Sep 2007 Posts: 21

oh nah thats not what i ment...sorry i guess i made it confusing. but like right now im half way through school to be a rad tech and i was wondering if its possible to work as a mri tech without ever having worked as a rad tech but like have the licence just never have ever held a job doin it and get a job straight into mri. also i was doin a little reading about radiation therapy and im very interested in it maybe right after i finish school. has anyone ever done that or thought about doin it? comments? thoughts? thanks!

hjhogle · Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:42 pm Post subject:

Try to remember, in the grand scheme of things, modalities like MR and CT are relative newcomers and so that pathways to get there are not set in stone.

The ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists), the primary certifying agency for imaging professionals in the US, does not require that, in order to become an MRI technologist, a candidate be an RT first.

They require that candidate for the certification exam be a graduate of an accredited program. And, if you review the requirements for entrance to many accredited programs which offer MRI as a field of its own, they also do not require the student to be an RT.

Students of accredited schools can earn their PRIMARY certification in MRI and have the right to use the initials RT (MR) after their name. For more information in becoming an MRI Technologist as your primary certification, see here: http://arrt.org/publications/2008-Handbook-MRI.pdf

Other modalities are experiencing similar changes. For the real truth of what is required to become certified in any modality, please go to the source - the ARRT
http://arrt.org/index.html?content=publications/CertHbksOnline.html

There is more information out there. Nuclear Medicine Technology is a totally separate field, being an RT does not give you an 'edge' except that the healthcare environment would not be foreign to you. See here - http://www.nmtcb.org

Diagnostic Medical Sonography ditto see here - http://www.ardms.org.

I'm afraid the previous poster "no Nuc Med school, Ultrasound school will really consider accepting students that aren't already an RT" did not have accurate information.

Following graduation, take the national certification exam. Get that under your belt, and then decide which direction to go.

Good luck in your search.

hjh, RT