How To Become An Lead MRI Technologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an lead mri technologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average lead mri technologist salary is $80,304. The most common degree is a associate degree degree with an medical technician major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become an lead mri technologist. Lead mri technologists with a Certified MRI Technologists certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 17,000 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreLead MRI TechnologistUS Average

Salary

6.3

Avg. Salary $80,304

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 10.43%

Black or African American 5.39%

Hispanic or Latino 10.96%

Unknown 3.30%

White 69.74%

Gender

female 51.47%

male 48.53%

Age - 45.5

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 - 45.5

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.0

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an lead mri technologist

Explore lead mri technologist education requirements

Most common lead mri technologist degrees

Associate

57.2 %

Bachelor's

27.5 %

Certificate

7.6 %

Start to develop specific lead mri technologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	18.50%
ARRT	11.82%
Magnetic Resonance Imaging	11.26%
Radiology	10.49%
Magnetic Resonance	8.04%

Complete relevant lead mri technologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead mri technologists 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 an lead mri technologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead mri technologist resumes.

Gain additional lead mri technologist certifications

Lead mri technologist certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific lead mri technologist certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for lead mri technologists include Certified MRI Technologists and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist.

More About Certifications

Research lead mri technologist duties and responsibilities

Distribute workload base on in-patient and out-patient exams while managing an on-call schedule and emergency add-on patients.
Perform lead technologist responsibilities in both magnetic resonance and diagnostic radiology, to include work assignment, work flow and scheduling.
Scan patients providing diagnostic images while maintaining patient care/safety while scanning and/or injecting.
Maintain works schedules, including payroll duties.

Get lead mri technologist experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become an lead mri technologist. The most common roles before becoming an lead mri technologist include mri technologist, radiologic technician team lead and x-ray technician.

Prepare your lead mri technologist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead mri technologist 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 an lead mri technologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable lead mri technologist resume templates

Build a professional lead mri technologist 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 lead mri technologist resume.