Top Radiology Technician Schools in the United States

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If you want to become a radiology technician, you will need to attend one of the numerous radiology technician schools in the United States. Here, you are going to learn how to use equipment and how to prepare the patient for an x-ray. At the same time, these schools include courses such as radiation biology, anatomy, physiology and pathology. You will also benefit from clinical instruction and you will have to follow a hands-on internship, so you can get used to the real job. The programs offered by the radiology technician schools last between one and four years.

The Best Radiology Technician Schools

According to the site Radiologyschools.com, the top schools offering radiology technician programs are:

•University of Pennsylvania
•Columbus Regional Hospital
•Baylor University Medical Center
•Johns Hopkins University
•California State University – Long Beach
•Sinai-Grace Hospital
•University of the District of Columbia
•Stanford University

You can choose from these great schools, the one that is most convenient and best suits your needs and expectations.

Education and Degrees

Before selecting the right program, you must know that you can choose from 3 options: a bachelor’s degree (4 years), an associate’s degree (2 years) and a certificate program (1 or 2 years). The certificate programs are offered both online and traditionally and they are provided by technical schools, community colleges and hospitals. Some of the prerequisites for radiology include ethics coursework, previous medical experience, office technology and the knowledge of medical terminology. The foundation for a radiology technician includes patient safety courses, anatomy, mathematics, chemistry, radiology theory and biology.

The radiology technician schools also offer associate’s degree programs. These are the most common and popular programs for those who want to become a radiology technician. Most of the accredited community colleges will provide these degrees.

Finally, there is the bachelor’s degree that allows the professional to obtain a better position with a higher salary. The admission criteria differ from school to school, so you must check out the requirement’s on your university’s website. Some of the most common courses offered within a bachelor’s degree program are radiobiology, pathology, anatomy and radiation physics.

Required Training

During the radiology technician program, you will also have to pursue a hands-on training in order to achieve patient contact experience. Some schools also require medical office and coding courses because there are jobs where these skills will be extremely helpful.

It is very important to follow an accredited program and the official accrediting body in the United States, JRCERT (Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology). The accredited training will help you obtain a certification. You can choose to specialize in areas like medical imaging, mammography, medical sonography, computed tomography, cellular imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, neuroradiology or musculoskeletal. Every specialization comes with its own training and certifications, so choose carefully.