How To Become A Lead Radiologic Technologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lead radiologic technologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Karen Bubb

The average lead radiologic technologist salary is $56,004. The most common degree is a associate degree degree with an medical technician major. It usually takes 1-2 years of experience to become a lead radiologic technologist. Lead radiologic technologists with a Certified Radiological Technologist 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.

What general advice would you give to a lead radiologic technologist?

Karen Bubb

Department Head, Assistant Professor, Diagnostic Medical Imaging, Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City

In the fields of Radiologic Technology and Medical Sonography, continuous learning is the key to a long-term career. Never assume you know it all because there is always something new and innovative to learn. New technological advancements are continuously being released and it is vital to keep up with the newest techniques. The more you know and the more relevant you are in the professions; the more employers will seek you out and compensate you for your expertise. Also, do not get into bad habits when it comes to ergonomics. Musculoskeletal injuries are common in sonographers and can ruin a budding career fast.

ScoreLead Radiologic TechnologistUS Average

Salary

4.4

Avg. Salary $56,004

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 61.68%

male 38.32%

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 lead radiologic technologist

Explore lead radiologic technologist education requirements

Most common lead radiologic technologist degrees

Associate

64.7 %

Bachelor's

23.9 %

Certificate

3.9 %

Start to develop specific lead radiologic technologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	20.21%
ARRT	10.82%
Patient Care	10.11%
Radiologic Technologist	7.27%
Radiologic Procedures	4.20%

Complete relevant lead radiologic technologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead radiologic 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 a lead radiologic technologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead radiologic technologist resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed lead radiologic technologist usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed lead radiologic technologist in most of states. 32 states require lead radiologic technologists 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

Gain additional lead radiologic technologist certifications

Lead radiologic 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 radiologic technologist certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for lead radiologic technologists include Certified Radiological Technologist and Registered Technologist - Computed Tomography (RTCT).

More About Certifications

Research lead radiologic technologist duties and responsibilities

Initiate, achieve and comply with ACR accreditation standards.
Develop and manage resources to include payroll, non-payroll, and capital equipment budgets as well as space requirements.
Manage ACR accreditation compliance process.
Full range of supervisor duties including payroll, performance evaluations, budgetary oversight, new staff orientation and training.

Get lead radiologic technologist experience

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

Prepare your lead radiologic technologist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead radiologic 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 a lead radiologic 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 radiologic technologist resume templates

Build a professional lead radiologic 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 radiologic technologist resume.