Career Advice
Tips and guidance for radiology tech careers
102 articles
Cardiac Cath Lab Tech: The High-Adrenaline Imaging Career
I'll never forget when Sarah, a cath lab tech I coached, described her job: "It's like regular radiology, except every day feels urgent, you're operating million-dollar equipment, and the cardiologist is making real-time decisions based on your images. People's lives depend on getting this right."
The Manager's Playbook for Dealing With Chronic Rad Tech Shortages
The rad tech shortage is real, and if you're a manager, you're living it.
The Truth About Rad Tech Overtime: When It Helps and When It Hurts
The Truth About Rad Tech Overtime: When It Helps and When It Hurts
Writing Policies That Protect Both Patients and Rad Techs
I've written policies that techs actually followed and policies that went straight into a binder nobody touched again. The difference isn't in the legal language or comprehensiveness. It's in whether you involve your staff and whether you write for clarity instead of liability coverage.
From Military Medic to Rad Tech: A Transition Guide
I'll be honest—when I first started training veterans to become rad techs, I was skeptical. Not about their potential, but about whether our programs were actually designed with their unique backgrounds in mind. That was five years ago, and I've since trained over 40 military medics and corpsmen thr
Understanding the Rad Tech Pipeline: Why Programs Can't Keep Up
I started mentoring students about eight years ago. One of my former students had graduated and was struggling in their first job—imposter syndrome, typical new-grad stuff. They asked if I'd help. I said yes, and next thing I knew, I was getting calls from instructors at our local RT program asking
Second Career as a Rad Tech: Why It Might Be the Best Decision
I was training a new tech in her early 50s—she'd left corporate HR after 28 years—and watching her learn positioning for a routine chest X-ray. She was methodical, asked precise questions about patient comfort, anticipated what the radiologist would need, and treated the whole process like it matter
Building a Radiology Department Culture That Retains Top Talent
I've spent the last decade working in nuclear medicine, and I've had a front-row seat to something that fascinates and frustrates me in equal measure: the stark difference between radiology departments where people want to show up and those where talented techs are constantly updating their resumes.
The Director's Guide to Radiology Department Accreditation
I was standing in my imaging department—charts everywhere, equipment needing service, staffing gaps—when my director casually mentioned Joint Commission would be arriving in four months. That sentence might have been the worst thing I heard all year.
The Imaging Department Manager's Guide to Performance Reviews
I've conducted somewhere north of 500 performance reviews over my career, and I can tell you with absolute confidence that most imaging departments are doing them wrong. Not incompletely wrong or slightly inefficiently wrong—fundamentally, completely wrong.
The Manager's Guide to Handling Rad Tech Call-Off Culture
When I first took over the imaging department at St. Catherine's back in 2003, I inherited a mess. Not the typical "needs new equipment" kind of mess. I'm talking about a call-off rate that hit 18% on bad weeks. The schedule would open up on my phone at 6 a.m. to what felt like a game of Whac-A-Mole
Dose Optimization Champions: Building a Radiation Safety Culture
Dose Optimization Champions: Building a Radiation Safety Culture in Your Department
How to Start a Rad Tech Program Advisory Committee
How to Start a Rad Tech Program Advisory Committee
Teleradiology and the Rad Tech: How Remote Reading Affects Your Job
Let me start with what I think is a misconception: a lot of rad techs hear "teleradiology" and think it means their job is going remote, or getting eliminated, or somehow becoming less relevant. That's not what's happening. Teleradiology is a big shift in how radiologists work, and it affects our wo
Building an Imaging Department Float Pool That Actually Works
Building an Imaging Department Float Pool That Actually Works
The Rise of Remote Radiology Jobs: What's Real and What's Hype
The Rise of Remote Radiology Jobs: What's Real and What's Hype
How AI Is Changing Radiology — And What It Means for Hiring
I've been a radiology technologist for fifteen years. I started when PACS was still relatively new, watched digital mammography replace film, and transitioned from fluoroscopy to digital radiography. I've seen AI hype before. I'm skeptical. But this is different.
How to Transition From Hospital to Outpatient Imaging
I made the jump from hospital radiology to outpatient imaging about six years ago, and it was honestly one of the best decisions I've made in my 18-year radiology career. But I'll be real with you—it's not a simple "better" or "worse" choice. It's a different choice, and whether it's right for you d
Nuclear Medicine Technology: The Overlooked Specialty With Incredible Growth
When I tell people I'm a nuclear medicine technologist, they often give me a blank stare. "So, like... radioactive stuff?" they ask hesitantly. Then, when I explain what I actually do, their eyes light up—and they usually say something like, "Why doesn't anyone talk about this?"
Mammography Certification: Is the Specialty Right for You?
Mammography Certification: Is the Specialty Right for You?