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The differences between radiologic technicians and imaging assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a radiologic technician and an imaging assistant. Additionally, a radiologic technician has an average salary of $50,622, which is higher than the $33,188 average annual salary of an imaging assistant.
The top three skills for a radiologic technician include patients, ARRT and radiologic technologist. The most important skills for an imaging assistant are patients, patient care, and BLS.
| Radiologic Technician | Imaging Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $50,622 | $33,188 |
| Hourly rate | $24.34 | $15.96 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 58,797 | 25,940 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A radiologic technician is responsible for testing and treating patients with radiology machines under the assistance of a radiologist. Duties of a radiologic technician include performing radiology procedures, monitoring the equipment's safety and stability, assisting the patients with the guidelines, detecting and resolving possible system malfunctions, and preventing excessive radiation exposure. A radiologic technician must have excellent technical skills and excellent knowledge of the medical industry to support the patients and provide additional assistance.
Imaging Assistants are responsible for providing operational and administrative support to the radiologist. Their duties include scheduling examination, organize work assignments, conduct imaging room set up, patient verification, explaining procedures to patient and family as well as help in the patient transfers from and to beds, wheelchairs, and carts. They are responsible for maintaining the supplies room, manage patient exam records, establish proper billing, and report equipment malfunction. Imaging Assistants ensures patient comfort, engage in ethical conduct, and make sure work adheres to regulatory requirements.
Radiologic technicians and imaging assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Radiologic Technician | Imaging Assistant | |
| Average salary | $50,622 | $33,188 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $79,000 | Between $21,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Fairbanks, AK |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | TALENT Software Services | Massachusetts General Hospital |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a radiologic technician and an imaging assistant in terms of educational background:
| Radiologic Technician | Imaging Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | Texas A&M University | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between radiologic technicians' and imaging assistants' demographics:
| Radiologic Technician | Imaging Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% | Male, 38.0% Female, 62.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 9.9% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 9.5% White, 56.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |