How To Become A Diagnostic Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a diagnostic technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Heidi Shelton D.C., R.T(R)

Diagnostic Technicians are tasked with maintaining, inspecting, repairing, and servicing vehicles. They use diagnostic equipment to trace and identify the origin of the problem and then commence with the necessary repair procedure. They are also in charge of transporting patients to the appropriate department, as in, dialysis goes to the dialysis department, likewise surgery. But this job requires some skills to help you increase your chances of getting it. Some of the skills include patient care, strong knowledge of Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), strong knowledge of Radiology, good knowledge of Diagnosis, strong knowledge of Electroencephalogram (EEG).

To increase your chances of getting this job, you need to have your academic qualifications ready. The thing is, both your skills and your academic qualifications have a lot to do in this process. So, prospects should endeavor to build their skills while still working on getting enticing academic qualifications. You need at least a Bachelor's degree in any medical engineering courses before you can be able to measure up. But to increase your chances, you have to get a Master's degree or a certificate from some approved professional medical body. As for the salary structure of an average Diagnostic Technicians, it depends on your experience on the job, the size of the organization, and the country in which you reside. In the United States, they earn between $51,404 and $120,000.

What general advice would you give to a diagnostic technician?

Dr. Heidi Shelton D.C., R.T(R)

Clinical Coordinator, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

There are many ways to maximize your salary potential, anywhere from taking on extra shifts and call, to taking on bigger responsibilities like a leadership or supervisor role. It is important to maintain your registry through valid continuing education credits that would actually improve your skills and benefit the clinic or hospital you work at. In addition, post-primary certifications can also allow you to obtain a higher salary. Most importantly, working with a financial planner will help you learn how to save and maximize your income.

ScoreDiagnostic TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.9

Avg. Salary $49,571

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.8

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.48%

Asian 6.05%

Black or African American 5.39%

Hispanic or Latino 10.19%

Unknown 4.14%

White 73.75%

Gender

female 33.99%

male 66.01%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.8

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.5

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a diagnostic technician

Explore diagnostic technician education requirements

Most common diagnostic technician degrees

Associate

41.0 %

Bachelor's

30.4 %

High School Diploma

10.2 %

Start to develop specific diagnostic technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	26.84%
Patient Care	15.84%
CPR	12.60%
Radiology	7.05%
Diagnosis	3.74%

Complete relevant diagnostic technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New diagnostic technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a diagnostic technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real diagnostic technician resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed diagnostic technician usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed diagnostic technician in most of states. 32 states require diagnostic technicians to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alaska	Specific course required	Third-party exam required	Radiologic Technologists
Arkansas	Degree required	Both state and third-party exams required	Radiologic Technologist (Radiographer)
California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	California Radiologic Technologist (CRT)
Colorado	Specific course required	Third-party exam required	Radiologic Technologists
Connecticut	Specific course required	Third-party exam required	Radiographer

Research diagnostic technician duties and responsibilities

Establish work procedures for the radiology staff.
Perform EKG testing on both inpatients and outpatients.
Assist in daily maintenance and troubleshooting of PACS.
Perform RNA and DNA extraction by using Qiagen kit.

Prepare your diagnostic technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your diagnostic technician resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a diagnostic technician resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable diagnostic technician resume templates

Build a professional diagnostic technician resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your diagnostic technician resume.