How to hire a diagnostic technician

How to hire a diagnostic technician, step by step

Here's a step-by-step diagnostic technician hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a diagnostic technician job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new diagnostic technician
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a diagnostic technician do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the diagnostic technician you need to hire. Certain diagnostic technician roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A diagnostic technician's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, diagnostic technicians from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of diagnostic technician salaries for various roles:

   Type of Diagnostic Technician	Description	Hourly rate
   Diagnostic Technician	Radiologic technologists, also known as radiographers, perform diagnostic imaging examinations, such as x rays, on patients. MRI technologists operate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners to create diagnostic images.	$14-37
   Multi-Modality Technologist	Multi-modality technologists focus on the imaging needed for medical diagnosis. The task of a multi-modality technologist is to conduct radiology exams and other diagnostic procedures requested by doctors... Show more	$13-46
   CT Technologist	A CT Technologist's role involves the use of computerized tomography (CT) scanners to diagnose patients' medical issues. This process consists of producing cross-section images of internal organs and tissues.	$17-53

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Patient Care
   • CPR
   • Radiology
   • Diagnosis
   • EEG
   • EKG
   • Radiographic Procedures
   • Pacs
   • OSHA
   • Troubleshoot
   • Next-Generation Sequencing
   • Test Results
   • Holter

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Perform cardiology and EKG procedures as directed by medical staff.
   • Operated/Manage ECG, a, and DCG as needed per MD orders.

   More diagnostic technician duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your diagnostic technician job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A diagnostic technician salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a diagnostic technician in North Carolina may be lower than in California, and an entry-level diagnostic technician usually earns less than a senior-level diagnostic technician. Additionally, a diagnostic technician with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average diagnostic technician salary

   $49,571yearly

   $23.83 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level diagnostic technician salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average diagnostic technician salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$80,095	$39
   2	New Hampshire	$68,743	$33
   3	Connecticut	$66,149	$32
   4	Massachusetts	$65,438	$31
   5	New York	$62,933	$30
   6	Washington	$59,377	$29
   7	Colorado	$58,176	$28
   8	New Jersey	$57,573	$28
   9	Oregon	$56,291	$27
   10	Maryland	$53,319	$26
   11	Pennsylvania	$49,845	$24
   12	Wisconsin	$49,414	$24
   13	Virginia	$49,127	$24
   14	Nevada	$48,718	$23
   15	Georgia	$47,814	$23
   16	Iowa	$47,509	$23
   17	Arizona	$47,261	$23
   18	Ohio	$45,521	$22
   19	North Carolina	$43,622	$21
   20	Texas	$37,662	$18

   Average diagnostic technician salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Waymo	$84,318	$40.54	3
   2	Medical Diagnostic Laboratories	$78,557	$37.77
   3	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$75,775	$36.43	7
   4	The Midland Group	$75,654	$36.37	6
   5	Southeastern Lifestyle Fitness Center Lumberton	$75,162	$36.14	3
   6	Onslow Memorial Hospital	$71,957	$34.59	3
   7	Hoffmann-LA Roche Inc	$70,853	$34.06
   8	Enloe Medical Center	$69,830	$33.57	13
   9	South Central Regional Medical Center	$69,091	$33.22	5
   10	Blessing Hospital Emergency Room	$68,640	$33.00	4
   11	Dignity Health	$68,431	$32.90	200
   12	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$68,193	$32.79	97
   13	Deloitte	$67,937	$32.66
   14	Methodist Health System	$67,690	$32.54	48
   15	Cornell University	$66,155	$31.81	2
   16	Halifax Health	$65,443	$31.46	12
   17	Hendrick Health	$65,315	$31.40	9
   18	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center	$65,144	$31.32	9
   19	Mount Sinai Health System	$63,725	$30.64	36
   20	Hunter Engineering	$63,447	$30.50	2

4. Writing a diagnostic technician job description

   A diagnostic technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a diagnostic technician job description:

   Diagnostic technician job description example

   Reporting to the Manager, Imaging Services, Radiology Administration, This position is responsible for performing routine and specialized radiographic procedures, providing patient care and physician assistance during the performance of those procedures.
   1. Graduate of an accredited program of Radiologic Technology is required.
   2. Current CRT certification is required.
   3. Current fluoroscopy permit from the State of California or eligibility to complete fluoroscopy class and obtain certification within 6 months of hire is required.
   4. ARRT certification is preferred.
   5. Current American Heart Association (AHA) Healthcare Provider CPR card is required.
   6. Radiography experience in an acute care setting is preferred.
   7. Knowledge of general radiography, fluoroscopy, IVP's, tomography, C-Arm and portable radiography, surgery, ER/trauma and specialized radiographic exams such as myelography is preferred.
   8. Knowledge of radiographic and support equipment is required.
   9. Ability to operate all diagnostic imaging equipment and perform all introductory diagnostic imaging examinations with little guidance is required.
   10. Projection of a professional image to patients, physicians, the public, and other health care providers is required.
   11. Exceptional oral and written communication skills and excellent customer service skills are required. Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
   Trinity Health is a family of 115,000 colleagues and nearly 26,000 physicians and clinicians across 25 states. Because we serve diverse populations, our colleagues are trained to recognize the cultural beliefs, values, traditions, language preferences, and health practices of the communities that we serve and to apply that knowledge to produce positive health outcomes. We also recognize that each of us has a different way of thinking and perceiving our world and that these differences often lead to innovative solutions. Our dedication to diversity includes a unified workforce (through training and education, recruitment, retention, and development), commitment and accountability, communication, community partnerships, and supplier diversity.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find diagnostic technicians for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your diagnostic technician job on Zippia to find and attract quality diagnostic technician candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with diagnostic technician candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new diagnostic technician

   Once you've selected the best diagnostic technician candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a diagnostic technician?