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mhoel
Joined: 31 Dec 2006
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 12:38 am Post subject: What career path... |
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X-Ray Tech, Radiology Tech, Radiologist, Help! I am 35 and decidied to go back to school/work after having 3 kids. I was looking into these fields. Any info I can get about which might be the easiest to do at first as far as schooling(did I mention I have 3 kids? Ages 13, 4, 2). I think the job market is easy after school. Do employers like to hire out of technical schools? Thanks ahead for your help. |
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hjhogle
Moderator
Joined: 23 May 2006
Posts: 1047
Location: New Haven, CT
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| Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 12:35 pm Post subject: Re: What career path... |
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| mhoel wrote: | | X-Ray Tech, Radiology Tech, Radiologist, Help! I am 35 and decidied to go back to school/work after having 3 kids. Do employers like to hire out of technical schools? Thanks ahead for your help. |
A Radiologist is a trained, licensed physician. An MD who has completed college, medical school and 4 or 5 years of additional training (residency) in imaging. They specialize in the interpretation of images created by .....
A Radiographer (we've also been called 'X-Ray Tech', 'Radiology Tech', among others) is the graduate of a 2- or 4-year program in the creation of images using ionizing radiation. Some related modalities (methods of creating images) do not use radiation - they might use sound waves (ultrasound or sonography) or magnetic and radio waves (MRI).
Item - Who approves school programs? See the ARRT website here: http://www.arrt.org/index.html?content=eduguide/accreditation.htm This page describes accreditation and which agencies are recognized by the ARRT (the American Registry of Radiologist Technologists). The ARRT is the agency charged with standardization and regulation of Radiographers.
Radiographers are created in several ways. NOTE - all three listed below additionally require the learner to spend a number of hours in "clinical" - time spent in a hospital, clinic or office setting working side-by-side with certified Radiographers.
1. An accredited 2-year certificate program. A 2-year certificate program is not college-based. The school is approved to prepare students to take the national certification exam. At successful completion of the program, students are eligible to take the national certification exam. Successfully passing the exam entitles the candidate to use the initials 'RT' after their name, indicating their mastery of the field.
2. An accredited 2-year associate degree program. A 2-year degree program is college-based. The school is approved to prepare students to take the national certification exam. At successful completion of the program, students have earned an associate degree and are eligible to take the national certification exam. Successfully passing the exam entitles the candidate to use the initials 'RT' after their name, indicating their mastery of the field.
3. An accredited 4-year BS or BA degree program. A 4-year degree program is college-based. The school is approved to prepare students to take the national certification exam. At successful completion of the program, students have earned a BS or BA degree and are eligible to take the national certification exam. Successfully passing the exam entitles the candidate to use the initials 'RT' after their name, indicating their mastery of the field.
Less confused now? About the chances of getting a job right out of school? Few people care whether you went through a 2-year certificate program, a 2-year degree program or a 4-year degree program. After almost 30 years in this field, it's been my experience that the only folks who care about this are students. Employers do not care, fellow radiographers don't care.
They care about this - Did you master the material, no matter where you went to school? Do you look for ways to enhance your skills? Do you work hard and work well as part of a team? If you earned your national certification, you work hard without whining (working next to someone who whines all the time can make you start thinking about justifiable homicide) and are willing to help your co-workers, then come work with me! We'd love to have you.
Good luck to you, whatever your decide to do with yourself.
hjh |
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