Imaging Professionals - Tell me about...

I'd like to hear from any of you radiology techs, nuc med, radiation therapists, ct techs, mri techs, etc...

I'm an LPN, nursing is not for me. However, the idea of a 2 year program for xray is overwhelming at the moment, especially when I'm most interested in MRI & Nuc Med.

Has anyone bypassed the radiography program and went straight to nuc med or mri as an ARRT primary pathway? Did you have a hard time finding a job simply as an MRI technologist or nuc med tech? Did employers want a radiography cert also?

Not that money is the only issue, but can you give me an idea of where these different modalities are starting at?

Thanks for any help!

You can apply directly to a Nuc Med program or MRI program without having the ARRT Radiography primary designation. Go to https://www.arrt.org/Education/Educational-Programs for a list of approved programs. You can also go to http://www.nmtcb.org/exam/schools.php for links to Nuc Med programs. Let be know if you need more details.

Thank you for responding. I knew I could apply directly to programs, but was worried about marketability (especially in MRI) without having a radiography cert also.

I have been scanning my local job market and haven't found a listing for any positions in MRI or Nuc Med, so that is my hesitation. I know networking is a big deal in landing a job.

I guess what I am looking for is info from MRI techs or Nuc Med techs that went that route without a radiography cert and how difficult it was to find a position.

There are very few jobs in nuc med