Radiology Forums

iraydee8 · Power User Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 64 Location: AZ

Well, my advice to you would be to keep waiting. The cost alone is reason enough. I have a daugter who has waited 4 years to get inot gateway. And she finally made it this year. And I personally have known the program director for 20 years! Well, workth the wait. Ask Pima what their drop out rate is and the rate of pass fail on the registry, Also the job availablity upon graduation.

My expericance is such that Gateway produces the much better well rounded tech and that is way my daughter is going there instead of Pima.

Good luck
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iraydee8

eslater1 · Joined: 09 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

I am assuming that you have already been to the pima orientation. So here is my take on things. My basics- I previously was a combat medic in the Army. There for I had done all the things that a paramedic would do on a regular basis that fell within my scope per the military. If you want to go MA then I say why not. It is however a world apart from what to expect as an RT. First and foremost; There are 2 different types of Radiology Technicians.....PRT (Practical Radiology Technician) and RT ( Radiology Technician) The difference between the two is very important. With the PRT you are limited to Chest xrays limbs and not sure what else. As an RT you do everything. By the way PRT's get paid around 1/2 of what an RT does.

Gateway: I too was on the waitlist;4 years! You have to be kidding me! As far as quality of tech's couldn't tell you. I know that there program is run differently. They teach them a section and then send them to a clinical site where they do it hands on.

Pima: More expensive, but if you are looking for $$ you're not going to find it while you are on the waiting list for the next 3 years. So they way I considered it...I would be getting in the field faster ( only took me 1 try ( 5 months) ) and making the $ faster too. Some people it took longer. Pima works on a point system instead of a waiting list. So to me it seems like the people that were more determined to make it tried harder to get into the class (it shows!).

So now I'm in my second semester, getting ready to go to my externship sights, in a class with amazing smart and competitive intelligent classmates. In the end it's all up to you. If you do end up being an RT I'm sure we will meet eventually.

iraydee8 · Power User Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 64 Location: AZ

eslater1:

I hope that Pima will instruct you the one and only professionally accepted carrer choice of jobs. We, those who have graduated and passed an accediated school of Medical Radiography, all study hard and have good moral values call ourselves Medical Radiographers, or Radiologic Technologist, in no way do we ever refer to ourselves as "Radiology Technicians.....PRT (Practical Radiology Technician) and RT ( Radiology Technicians"

I surly hope once you graduate from this $$ hungry school that you will address your profession as one so deserving the correct terminologyl

Thanks for listening and learning!
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iraydee8

eslater1 · Joined: 09 Jul 2008 Posts: 2

I'm sorry iraydee8 I assumed that this forum was to help people and give them information and not a "I'm better than you session." If that's what it is... I'm a female combat medic who served in Iraq for over a year and a half, who was awarded a combat medical badge for saving peoples lives while getting shot at, I own 2 homes, have no debt, and know how to use spell check. Now if you want to one up me it's your choice, but I'd rather try helping people than being ignorant.

For all of those whom gathered issued with me using the wrong terminology, I apologize. Although I realize that most of you have much more important things to ponder I still feel obligated to address those who don't.

CAS90 · Joined: 26 Sep 2006 Posts: 8

Well I know that the last group that graduated from PIMA all passed their
registry the first time. As far as my class we lost one student because it wasnt for him. I am set to take my registry in three weeks but maybe I shouldnt bother because I went to PIMA. NOT you get back what you but in which was hard work and the willingness to learn.