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The differences between radiologic technicians and imaging technologists 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 technologist. Additionally, a radiologic technician has an average salary of $50,622, which is higher than the $49,786 average annual salary of an imaging technologist.
The top three skills for a radiologic technician include patients, ARRT and radiologic technologist. The most important skills for an imaging technologist are patients, patient care, and customer service.
| Radiologic Technician | Imaging Technologist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,622 | $49,786 |
| Hourly rate | $24.34 | $23.94 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 58,797 | 55,397 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| 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.
An imaging technologist is responsible for performing diagnostic imaging procedures such as magnetic resonance imaging scans, X-ray examination, and computed tomography. Your day-to-day duties include working closely with physicians and radiologists in diagnosing or ruling out disease or injury, operating and maintaining imaging equipment, and assisting patients in preparation for imaging procedures. As an imaging technologist, it is also your responsibility to follow precise instructions in order to capture a high-quality image and assisting physicians in evaluating images.
Radiologic technicians and imaging technologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Radiologic Technician | Imaging Technologist | |
| Average salary | $50,622 | $49,786 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $79,000 | Between $33,000 And $74,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | TALENT Software Services | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a radiologic technician and an imaging technologist in terms of educational background:
| Radiologic Technician | Imaging Technologist | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | Texas A&M University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between radiologic technicians' and imaging technologists' demographics:
| Radiologic Technician | Imaging Technologist | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% | Male, 47.6% Female, 52.4% |
| 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, 5.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 73.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 8% |