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If your hospital has flexible scheduling you can see about working a weekend position while in school and the evenings that you have lecture with no clinicals (those days tend to be shorter). As you go further into the program I would recommend trying to reduce the hours you work unless you’re able to study well at work. I know it’s stressful to manage school and work but it’s temporary and so worth it in the end!

X-ray is a 2 dimensional image taken with a single exposure (picture). CT is a scan that takes hundreds/thousands of images over the duration of the scan. During a CT, patients lay on a table and go through a “donut” while the tech operates the movements of the table from behind a console. X-ray techs have to position and align the X-ray equipment in a particular position in order to take the patients X-ray. I hope this helped!

You might want to look into MRI if you choose to go the medical imaging route. They have outpatient facilities where most patients are able to move themselves and there is quite a bit of up and down but not as much as traditional X-ray. The part that I’d be concerned about for you is getting through school because in X-ray clinicals they expect you to be up and willing to do every exam which could be very hard on your back and you need to go through X-ray to become MRI certified (unless you can find a program that im not aware of). good luck!

If you have support from family to help cover the second shift clinicals (my school had a 1pm to 9pm second shift schedule) then the childcare you need would be similar to just having a regular day shift job. The biggest struggle I had was trying to find time to study after bedtime since toddlers need your constant attention! Haha. I sat up front in class and paid close attention to lectures in order to try to retain enough information so that I didn’t need to study as much 😅 It is totally doable though! Good luck!

If you have an associates degree in something other than radiologic technology then then there is a possibility that you would have credits to transfer into the rad tech program. If you do not have any college credits to transfer then you would need to complete pre requisites such as your English and math either before or alongside taking your X-ray classes.

@@SydneyPipp Gotcha. Thanks for your knowledge!

I didn’t use rad tech boot camp but I’ve heard good things about it. I primarily used Mosby’s and a little bit of the yellow book. The most important take away that I got from studying is to not focus on memorizing questions and answers but to really understand the concept behind the question. Reading over the reasons why a question was marked as incorrect or correct helped me the most.

I worked 12 hour shifts one weekend per month at this PRN (as needed) position. I have a primary job in a pediatric facility performing X-ray examinations. The two jobs meant that my husband and I did not have a weekend off together.. ever.

@@SydneyPipp yeah that’s not good family over work

We need you to hurry through school and come fill some shifts, we are struggling! Haha!

I’m excited for you to continue your education! You can get a certificate for MRI and may be able to find a bridge program in your area for ultrasound. Ultrasound in the states is usually a different bachelors program entirely. If you are specifically seeking a masters degree then medical physics may be a good route for you but it all depends on what your long term goals are and how you’d like your career to look in the future. Good luck!

Okay mam Do you think medical physics is good? If I do master in medical physics then I will be eligible for which program MRI CT etc? I belong to Pakistan.

I’m not sure of the requirements in Pakistan but in the US we don’t need any additional degree other than our associates in order to be eligible for MRI and CT certificates. We can even cross train and learn to perform those modalities without going back to school. I would ask a local college what their suggestion is.

I was looking for someone who did xray through the military to get some informations and advice. I guess God sent you to me 😊 please tell me more about military xray route. How did you get CT and MRI registries in the military, and how does the military training translates to the civilian. I would like to know more because I'm considering the military route. Thank you.

I’m so excited for you as you begin this journey! I didn’t use anything extra throughout the program but clover learning has rad tech boot camp that I’ve heard does a great job at preparing you for the ARRT registry. With an accounting background I wouldn’t worry yourself about the physics. Does your school require chemistry? As your in the prerequisite stages I would focus on learning your anatomy because it’s simple enough to memorize ahead of time without being overwhelmed by trying to teach yourself too much. Good luck :)

Chem was a pre requisite but I would inquire about that because I didn’t see it as part of the curriculum. Just the skeleton (bones) only anatomy? Do I need to know muscle, etc?

I’m excited for you to begin the program! It goes by so quickly once you start. Don’t stress over the physics.. ask your professor all of the questions you have and look into if your college offers individual tutoring.

@@SydneyPipp thank u

You wouldn’t be considered full time working 30 hours in most cases but you can work in a part time position with those hours. Again, benefits will vary depending on your status (part time vs full time).

Thank you for your reply and informative videos? I am considering a career change (At age 38!) wit hthe intent that i want to spend time with my kid so I am bit anxious. Well i went through the video completely now to get more of my answers :)

It’s so rewarding to have flexibility to spend time with family and have a good career! My husband went back to school for this around age 35 so you can absolutely do it!

You could potentially go straight into the program without prerequisites being completed depending on the college you choose. However, with it being your first college experience it would be good for you to knock out some prerequisites while you’re working. Once you’re in the program it is possible to work but you’re only going to be available in the evenings or weekends most likely. Clinicals are all day in person 2-3 days a week through most of the program. The other core courses are also in person. You might be able to get some prerequisites done online though.

There are usually breaks for X-ray techs between cases when they are cleaning up one case and setting up another. If there is a case that you’re in that runs all through lunch then another X-ray tech can float up to cover you for lunch. Most of the time you just eat and use the restroom between cases.

@@SydneyPipp do you guys get vacation or able to? I know that depends on the hospital/place but any feedback would be appreciated:)

Yes we accrue paid time off (PTO). You’re able to use your PTO to take vacation or use it towards sick days throughout the year in order to still get paid while you are taking time off of work. As long as you have your time off request placed in advance (usually a month notice) then there should be no reason that you can’t get time off for a vacation.

My school requires us to pay a fee to “save your seat” once accepted into the program. I believe it was around $800. I cannot attest to fees for other schools.

@@SydneyPipp Thank you I'm really happy to know that the fees are at least affordable. As a foreign rad tech and a permanent resident in the USA who's really into his job I've always wanted to continue my journey here in the united states in this amazing field that I admire

Absolutely! Starting with a foundation in radiology will look good on grad school applications and will be extremely helpful as you progress in college.

@SydneyPipp I think you convinced me to do it then honestly, I'm all the way down here in texas and from what I've been seeing the pay is definitely worth it 👌🏽 I'm actually so excited for it! Lol

I’m excited for you! Good luck with all of your schooling 😀

You’re so kind! I’m glad that your learning style and my “instruction” mesh well!

Typically you would need to be vaccinated to go through the rad tech program and to work in a hospital. There are certain exemptions you are able to claim to get around this requirement but that is up to the program and hospitals discretion to accept or deny your exemption.

Congratulations to both of you!

@@SydneyPipp thank you 😊💛

Hopefully someone from SC can provide you with some insight on what to expect in the job market there! If you work full time at a typical hospital there is usually a call hour requirement. However, my hospital doesn’t require anyone to take call hours but we all work well together with picking them up that it never becomes an issue for coverage. Outpatient centers/urgent care shouldn’t have call hours to be concerned about.

My school only accepts roughly 20 students for each cohort that starts in August with no waitlist. There is another school local to me that has a two year wait list but you're pretty much guaranteed a seat if you wait long enough (you have to take classes while you are on the wait list). I have a military background as well as transcripts from my degree in surgical technology so my application was approved fairly quickly.

There is no calculus to worry about! If you passed your general physics the credit could transfer.

You were so close! Bring your confidence with you next time and you’ll do just fine! Good luck!

I just passed my exam yesterday. I used correct tec for 2 hours a day for two months before my exam. I repeated every exercise until I passed it with at least a 90%. If I didn’t understand a question I would look it up. I would recommend Clover(Rad Tech Bootcamp). I thought the questions on the registry were similarly worded to the questions on there. I think I would’ve score better if I used clover more. Two people in my class failed but one just retook it and passed. 😊 she used correct tec and clover to study for her second attempt.

Update I passed :)

@@joeberardi4207 hell yeah!!!! That’s awesome!! Go celebrate 👏🥳🎉

Congratulations, I am so happy for you! Time to get to work! Haha

It was so easy! It paid for both my associates and bachelors and I still have some remaining to work on my masters! The financial aid office will work with you and all you should have to provide them with is your GI bill letter of eligibility (might be called something else). Just make sure to apply for FAFSA too so that you can support yourself/family while you’re in school!

​@SydneyPipp What did you get your bachelor's in? Also, how did you manage to have the GI Bill pay for both associates and bachelor's? I just started college and I'm doing prerequisites right now, and I'm just worried I won't have enough time left from the GI Bill to pay for a bachelor's.

My bachelors degree is a bachelor of science with an emphasis in education. I took my time completing all of the required courses (sometimes only taking 2 courses per semester) and I still have 12 months of benefits remaining for my GI bill. I plan to use it again for a masters program in the near future 😅 Even if you are taking your time with prerequisites you SHOULD have enough to complete a bachelors degree as well.

Did you take it again? I would like to know what helped with passing it. I'm an RT wanting to get back into the field researching tutorials and notes from previous test takers to help me study.

@@lisachristoph7504 not yet

I’m sorry for the lack of response, I do not offer private tutoring at the moment. In reference to your other comment; I am not registered in MRI so I’m absolutely no help in that department. I suggest using rad tech bootcamp to help guide you through your studies. Good luck!

I made a video recently discussing how much an X-ray tech makes in Ohio that you can check out. Other techs from different areas shared their wages in the comments. The pay will probably not meet what you currently make in an IT position but if you feel as though you would improve the quality of your mental health then that could be enough to make the decision to go into radiology. I would suggest job shadowing a rad tech in your area before committing to a program that way you are aware of what to expect post graduation.

@@SydneyPipp Got it thanks syndey! do you have any recommendations for how to schedule an informational interview or job shadow (and is this something you did when you started?)

It was a requirement for my school to complete 8 hours of job shadowing before starting the course. You should be able to call a hospital or outpatient facility that has medical imaging to request a day to job shadow. On hospital websites you can get the number for the operator and ask for a medical imaging supervisor (specifically X-ray) and they can send you directly to the department. There might be a form you have to sign for them to ensure you will abide by their patient privacy standards. Other than that you shouldn’t be faced with many barriers on shadowing. Good luck!

It is likely to be your exact score. May vary a few points but there are no cases that I’ve heard of where it shows a failing grade on the computer then you end up passing or vice versa.

That’s awesome! Thank you for your support. Good luck!

Thank you for this 🙏 I'm 42

What part of the math do you find to be most challenging?

Good Luck! You can start becoming familiar with bone anatomy to help before your classes begin.

I believe that in dental practices the exposure button is behind a wall greater than six feet from the source of radiation. This should be sufficient protection with minimal chances of harm to a fetus. However it is not guaranteed to be “safe”.

Hi mhmd , Do u have associate degree or bachelor ?

Associate

Is this a gross payment? Or after the deductions?

That’s amazing! Cost of living in your area must be higher in comparison to mine 😅

@@SydneyPipp NYC 😞