How To Become A Pacs Administrator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a pacs administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

PACS stands for Picture Archiving and Communications Systems. The PACS Administrator is responsible for the maintenance, management, and troubleshooting of a PACS system. He/She analyzes and ensures maximum usage of user processes. He/She works with all radiologists to troubleshoot systems. Also, he/she installs and maintains remote workstations. As the PACS administrator, you monitor the administration of all applications. You oversee and implement all test processes on systems. Also, you recommend upgrades and resolve all hardware and network issues.

PACS administrators require a bachelor's degree and certification with the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists or the PACS Administrators Registry and Certification Association. You need at least three years of experience in a related role. You must be familiar with medical terminology and standard procedures related to the field. You also need skills like technical, radiology, analytical, and organization skills. Pacs Administrators make an average salary of $83,174 per annum.

ScorePacs AdministratorUS Average

Salary

6.3

Avg. Salary $80,742

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 8.73%

Black or African American 9.04%

Hispanic or Latino 12.72%

Unknown 5.10%

White 64.10%

Gender

female 31.72%

male 68.28%

Age - 42

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 - 42

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.7

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.1

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a pacs administrator

Explore pacs administrator education requirements

Most common pacs administrator degrees

Bachelor's

40.9 %

Associate

39.7 %

Master's

10.0 %

Start to develop specific pacs administrator skills

Skills	Percentages
DICOM	7.32%
Patients	7.01%
HL7	6.08%
Troubleshoot	5.57%
Voice Recognition	4.93%

Complete relevant pacs administrator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New pacs administrators 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 pacs administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real pacs administrator resumes.

Research pacs administrator duties and responsibilities

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Project manage, troubleshoot, modify system settings, notify and initiate repair, install peripherals and test system.

Prepare your pacs administrator resume

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

Choose from 10+ customizable pacs administrator resume templates

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