Radiologic Technologist Schools and Career Info

Things you need to know, but nobody tells you

I was surprised how much I enjoy working in an emergency room, dealing with critical patients & keeping up with the fast pace. You never know what you're walking...[full comment]

I am surprised by the level of care in my field, most people in my field have a high level of patient care that I did not expect going through...[full comment]

Some of the best parts of being a Radiologic Technologist is the patient contact. I enjoy talking with my patients and getting a short history of their injury or pain...[full comment]

I would highly recommend doing a job shadow in the Radiology Department. This will give you a hands on experience of how the X-rays are taken and processed. I would...[full comment]

School and Career Surprises: Tips From People on the Job

Each comment from a radiologic technologist includes their career and school satisfaction ratings.

Career: "I was surprised how much I enjoy working in an emergency room, dealing with critical patients & keeping up with the fast pace. You never know what you're walking into or what may roll in at any given time but it's always fun & always interesting."

School: Studied Radiological Sciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Pennsylvania; completed Bachelor degree in 2007.
Satisfaction 10/10

Career: Cat Scan, female, 5 years of experience.

Career: "I am surprised by the level of care in my field, most people in my field have a high level of patient care that I did not expect going through college. I also learned that you have to be patient and great interpersonal skills, because patients are at their worst and need a voice of support during their worst times in life."

School: Studied Radiology at Montgomery Community College in Maryland; completed Associate degree in 2010.
Satisfaction 7/10

Career: Radiologic Technologist, female, 1 years of experience, currently based in District of Columbia.

Best & Worst Things About This Career

As reported by people currently doing the job

"Some of the best parts of being a Radiologic Technologist is the patient contact. I enjoy talking with my patients and getting a short history of their injury or pain and figuring out the best approach to get the best X-ray. I also like that Radiologic Technologist has many different responsibilities. One day could be mostly outpatients and the next day could be mostly inpatients or Emergency Room/Walk In patients. The worst part of the job is the physical lifting of patients who are unable to walk or move."

School : Associates Degree in Science/Radiologic Technology from Middlesex Community College
Career: Radiologic Technologist, currently based in Massachusetts.; Satisfaction 8/10

Tips for Succeeding in This Career

Helpful Info From Insiders

"I would highly recommend doing a job shadow in the Radiology Department. This will give you a hands on experience of how the X-rays are taken and processed. I would also recommend taking an Anatomy and Physiology class to see if the medical field is something that interests you. I would also recommend talking with people in the Medical or hospital field to get a feel for the job. You could also read some articles on line as you may want to start in General Radiology but might be later interested in Cat Scan or MRI."