Radiology Tech Salary can vary according to certifications, job placement, and region. The highest paid techs work in diagnostic and medical laboratories and make upwards of fifty-five thousand dollars a year. Radiology techs employed on the federal level earn around fifty-three thousand dollars a year. General medical and surgical hospital techs earn around fifty-two thousand dollars a year. Outpatient care center techs earn fifty thousand dollars. Physicians Office techs earn forty-eight thousand dollars.
With each of these areas, there is little difference in salary, allowing employees to find job security without the hassle of constantly searching for a better paying job. It is for this same reason that this career has very few vacancies, due to the fact that tech are often comfortable in their positions. Jobs that are available are usually in replacement for someone who retires or is promoted as a result of continued education. There are unlimited upward positions within the field, with increased certification to become a radiologist assistant and then a Radiologist.
Despite the certification process, there are many available routes to obtain education, including technical schools, hospitals, or traditional universities. The length of time spent in a program can vary from one to four years, with a certificate, an associates, or bachelors degree, and will affect your level of pay after completion. One year programs start out at the bottom, with the average salary of twenty-three thousand dollars a year. Technicians that start at the certificate can often work their way up, in addition to continuing education, and earn salaries comparable to their peers with more formal education.
Successful radiology technicians use technology to diagnose patients through the production of x-rays. The duties of a technician also include equipment maintenance, updating charts, scheduling, filing, explaining procedures, removing jewelry, and helping the patients find comfort. While there are many specialties in the field, the most well known include Mammography, CT/CAT scan, X-Ray, Ultrasound, Genitourinary Radiology (urinary and genital organs), Nuclear Medicine (used to diagnose and treat cancers, heart disease and other diseases), Gastrointestinal Radiology (stomach and intestines), MRI, Intervention Radiology, Cardiac/Neuro-interventional (procedures using imaging to treat vascular disorders of the spine and brain), and Radiation Oncology. These specialties allow for closer attention to a specific function of the body, giving greater accuracy of diagnosis.