After having completed a radiology technician educational program, it’s time to go about finding a job. While demand for radiology technicians as a professional type remains high and is expected to continue to grow, it is important to have a sense of what you’re getting into as you go about searching for a job as a radiology technician.
What, first of all, is a radiology technician? Chances are you have some sense of this if you are reading blogs about looking for radiology technician jobs, but for newcomers to the field, as well as for a quick review, a short job description is in order. A radiology technician is a medical professional that assists a radiologist, and does this mainly using x-ray imaging. The work involves preparing patients for x-rays, explaining the x-ray procedure to them, and taking the actual x-ray films. The technician is also often involved in developing the film after it is taken. There are record cord keeping responsibilities included in the job – the radiology technician may be responsible for filing x-ray films and recording relevant patient data – and he or she may additionally be called upon to make adjustments to x-ray machines.
So, essentially, a radiology technician handles the technical end of the x-ray process and to some extent the administrative end as well. He or she takes care of these parts of the procedure so that the radiologist can focus on the important task of analyzing the x-ray films, making diagnoses, and implementing medical treatment.
Where should someone starting out on the field look for radiology technician jobs? To some extent this fuses with the educational process itself: college and university radiology technician training programs include clinical experience as part of the curriculum, and this is often done at hospitals, clinics, diagnostic laboratories, and so on.
Moreover, some hospitals offer training in radiology technology, and the clinical work often figures heavily into the process. Since the student is demonstrating his or her abilities as they fulfill the practical work requirements, a hospital gets a clear sense of their employability potential and may opt to hire them after the educational program is completed.
Neither of these situations guarantees a job after graduation from an educational program, but the institution where the practicum is fulfilled certainly can be a later employment source. A student would simply inquire as to whether a hospital or other health care facility was hiring students after they finish either the college or facility based program.
If the above doesn’t work out, then the graduate, who usually needs to have also taken and passed the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) exam and gotten licensed, though this varies by area, must begin searching for a job on his or her own. The process involved in doing this is basically no different than that for other jobs. The individual looks at job listings for radiology technician positions in hospitals, medical labs, clinics, doctor’s offices, and other health care facilities and applies to them. Listings for these jobs can be found online, in local newspapers, or through employment agencies.
A good site to use for searching for radiology technician jobs is Indeed.com. This site has search boxes in which you can enter the job type and city or other geographical area (i.e. city, town, state, or even country). It returns results for this search in the specified area, usually a fairly good number. There are many other similar sites, some that list medical jobs exclusively, and some more general job listing sites, but the point is to get a good long list of potential job prospects in the local area and begin to contact them and apply to them.
The clinical experience you have gained during your course of study will for many new graduates be the only work history on their resume. Thus, a reputable program that offers field work experience at a highly regarded hospital is a good first step toward getting the kind of job you want. Some individuals may also have health care experience in other areas such as being a nursing assistant or doing administrative work, and these can also be used on a resume. Any medical background is a plus on a resume or application. Employers think not only in terms of the quality of the education an applicant has received, but of their general employability and wherewithal in the industry. So show employers that you know what it’s “all about” and get the best clinical experience possible during the educational program in which you enroll.
One final note: you don’t need to think in terms of working for only one employer. In this era of outsourcing, diversification, and freelance entrepreneurs, it pays to think in terms of offering your services on a number of different levels to a number of different employers, especially after you’ve gained some experience at an initial position. You could, for instance, work part time for a hospital, part time for a doctor’s office, and do x-ray machine maintenance for a medical lab. This enriches your skills base, relieves monotony, and gives you better control of your time.