How to Become a Radiology Technician in California

At Modern Technology School in Orange County, we’re always asked by the prospective students we meet each week, “What does a Radiology Technician Do?”

Simply put, Radiology Technicians aren’t simply there to push a button in order to take a quick scan and then walk away, letting the lead physician do the rest of the work. In fact, as part of the entire patient-doctor experience, they are responsible for so much more within the medical field. Radiology Technicians prepare patients for procedures, and often gain great insight to a patient’s medical history. Radiology Techs are often responsible for positioning the patient and being trained and knowledgeable about the latest and most modern X-Ray equipment available to the industry, knowing how to operate state-of-the-art imagine x-ray equipment, in order to acquire a clean image for the physician.

Radiology Technicians are skilled at keeping excellent and detailed patient records that will prove useful to the hospital and physicians for years to come. Furthermore, Radiology Technicians are responsible for protecting the patient by shielding exposed areas from possible radiation exposure. They also work with closely physicians to determine what images are to be taken and the best patient positioning for physician’s viewing post-x-ray and after the desired image/scan is retrieved.

While it’s obvious that Radiology Technicians can often be found in hospitals, they are also prevalent in Urgent Care Centers, Specialized Imaging Facilities, Sports and Injury Rehabilitation Hospitals, Orthopedic Offices, Corporate Health Care Facilities, Private Doctor’s Clinics, or Pediatric Hospitals. But where it all begins for the Radiology Tech is the Radiology Technician School or Medical Career College that will help them learn the basics & fundamentals of X-Ray, as well as the foundation and medical knowledge to propel them into a career as a Radiology Technician in Orange County.

What Does it Take to Graduate from a Radiology Tech School in California

In order to successfully graduate from an accredited and licensed Radiology Technician school in California, students must successfully complete all required course work with a grade point average of 2.0 (70%) with a C or better, plus complete and pass all clinical training hours. XT Students must also fulfill all financial obligations to their educational facility prior to graduation. In order to receive your Radiology Technician Diploma, and in order to be seated for the State Board Exams for X-Ray graduates, students must fulfill all academic, clinical and financial requirements within 30 days of the completion of the XT program.

What happens next is the radiology graduate will receive a Diploma from the School recognizing the graduate’s achieved competency only after they have successfully completely all didactic, lab and clinical components of the Radiology Tech Program and have completed their clinical log book, time-sheets, log-sheets, as well as case studies submitted and clinical evaluations. Upon graduation from an accredited and/or licensed Radiology Technician institute or college, the radiology graduate will receive their diploma as well as an official copy of their school transcripts which highlights the new radiology grad’s latest grades and test scores for review.

What about the Medical Assistant Portion of Radiology Students’ Schooling?

Yes there is also a Medical Assistant portion to your Radiology and X-Ray Tech schooling and education and at Radiology Technician schools like Modern Technology School in Orange County, California, in order to become an Radiology Technician we couple Medical Assistant as part of your Radiology Technician prep and syllabus. As a Medical Assistant, you will cover 12 Weeks in Day Classes or 16 weeks in Evening Classes from 6pm to 10pm (also Mon-Thurs). In this portion of your training you’ll learn about:

Radiology Technician Classes and Prep for California XT Exam

And in the actual Radiology Tech portion of your coursework, you’ll spend 16 weeks in daytime classes or choose to take 32 weeks of evening classes. What you’ll learn includes the following:

Is Clinical Internship Provided for Radiology Technicians through Modern Technology School?

Yes, Clinical Internship is part of the Radiology Tech program at Modern Technology School in Orange County. After you’ve completed the other portions of the Radiology Tech program at Modern Technology School, you’re ready for your Clinical Internship for XT’s (X-Ray Technicians / Radiology Technicians).

The internship portion for Radiology Technicians involves 350 X-Ray Exams, which include: 50 Chest Exams, 100 Extremity Exams and 200 Torso-Skeletal Exams, for a total of 520 Total Clinical Hours, as part of completing your clinical internship as an Radiology Technician. The Clinical Internship for XT’s is 16 weeks total, available in day or evening classes to all of our Modern Technology School X-Ray Students!

Radiology Technician Educational Objectives at Modern Technology School

We want our students to succeed and have long careers within the industry of their choice. At Modern Technology School in Orange County, California, we focus on providing our Radiology Tech students with didactic, laboratory and clinical training needed to meet entry level positions as Radiology Technicians with the ability to perform Chest, Extremity and Torso-skeletal X-Ray procedures.

Modern Technology school is also different in that we also place a strong focus of our students’ study on a variety of Medical Assistant/Back Office procedures, which we feel place the fundamental bricks of the medical education needed in order to hopefully solidify gainful employment upon graduation and California X-Ray Licensing. Graduates will be able to provide ethical patient care, acquire critical thinking skills, & will become clinically competent and ready to begin a long-lasting and demanding career as a Radiology Technician in California. These are just a few of the reasons we feel we have one of the best Radiology Tech Schools in all of Orange County.

What to Expect After You Graduate as an Radiology Technician in Orange County

Our Radiology Technician graduates are eligible to take the California State X-Ray / Radiology Technician Examination. This examination can be scheduled at multiple testing centers throughout California after graduation. Modern Technology School students are eligible to sit for the National Certification Medical Assistant (NCMA) Examination, after completion of didactic, and laboratory training. Completion of entire program including clinical internship is required by the National Center for Competency Testing (or the NCCT) before the NCMA certificate can be issued to the new Radiology Tech.

After our Modern Technology School Radiology Technician graduate passes the California State Limited Permit Radiology Technician Examination, they can then pursue a responsible entry-level position as a Radiology Technician/Medical Assistant within a physician’s office, medical imaging center, industrial medicine clinic, chiropractic office, orthopedic office, urgent care center or hospital. Other sought-after jobs for Radiology Technicians graduating from Modern Technology School in Orange County, CA are available in private practice, industry as well as even government service or in ‘big healthcare.’

Modern Technology School is located in the heart of Orange County in Fountain Valley, CA. We are extremely passionate about making sure that our Radiology Technician students are ready to make their own exceptional contributions in the diagnostic, healthcare field. MTS has been training and preparing Radiology Techs since 1981 and we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Modern Technology School is a great place to enter the workforce and begin a new career as a Radiology Technician today! Come in or call us at (888) 991-8997 today, we accept walk-in appointments and would love to meet you, see what your interests are, and to give you a thorough tour of our campus!

For more information, please visit us at http://mtschooledu.wpengine.com/x-ray-technician/ or call us today!