How to Become an X-Ray Technician in California

During our daily student orientations and one-on-one meetings at Modern Technology School in Orange County, we’re often asked, “What does an X-Ray Technician Do?” Well, X-Ray Technicians don’t just simply push a button in order to take a quick scan and then walk away. As part of the entire patient-doctor experience, they are responsible for so much more within the medical field. X-Ray Technicians prepare patients for procedures, and often gain great insight to a patient’s medical history. X-Ray 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. They are skilled at keeping excellent and detailed patient records that will prove useful to the hospital and physicians for years to come. Furthermore, X-Ray 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.

X-Ray Technicians can often be found in hospitals (obviously), but also 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 X-Ray Technician (XT) is the X-Ray Technician School or Medical 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 an X-Ray Tech.

How to Graduate X-Ray Technician School in California

To successfully graduate from an accredited and licensed X-Ray Technician school or medical college 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 X-Ray 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. The 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 X-Ray 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 X-Ray Technician institute or college, the X-Ray graduate will receive their diploma as well as an official copy of their school transcripts which highlights the new XT graduate’s grades and test scores.

Medical Assistant Portion of X-Ray Technician Coursework (X-Ray Technician/MA)

At X-Ray Tech schools like Modern Technology School in Orange County, California, in order to become an X-Ray Technician we couple Medical Assistant as part of your X-Ray 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:

X-Ray Technician Classes and Prep for California XT Exam

During the X-Ray Tech portion of your coursework, you’ll cover 16 weeks in Day classes or 32 weeks of Evening classes and learn:

Clinical Internship for X-Ray Technicians in California

Finally, after you’ve completed the other portions of the X-Ray Tech program at Modern Technology School, you’re ready for your Clinical Internship for XT’s. The internship portion for X-Ray 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 X-Ray 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!

Educational Goals & Objectives

At Modern Technology School in Orange County, California, we focus on providing our X-Ray students with didactic, laboratory and clinical training needed to meet entry level positions as an X-Ray Technician/Medical Assistant (XT/MA) with the ability to perform Chest, Extremity and Torso-skeletal X-Ray procedures. We also place a focus of study on a variety of Medical Assistant/Back Office procedures, which we feel lay down 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 an X-Ray Technician.

What Happens After You Graduate as an X-Ray Technician

Graduates of the X-Ray Technician (XT/MA) Program are eligible to take the California State X-Ray Technician Examination. The 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 X-Ray Tech.
Once the Modern Technology School X-Ray Technician graduate passes the California State Limited Permit X-Ray Technician Examination, they can then pursue a responsible entry-level position as an X-Ray 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 X-Ray Technicians graduating from Modern Technology School in Orange County, CA are available in private practice, industry as well as even government service.

At Modern Technology School, we’re extremely passionate about making sure that our X-Ray Technician / Medical Assistant students are ready to make their own exceptional contributions in the diagnostic, healthcare field. MTS has been training and preparing X-Ray Techs since 1981. Modern Technology School is a great place to enter the workforce and begin a new career as an X-Ray 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 MTSchool.edu or call us today!