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The differences between radiologic technicians and mri 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 mri technologist. Additionally, an mri technologist has an average salary of $77,257, which is higher than the $50,622 average annual salary of a radiologic technician.
The top three skills for a radiologic technician include patients, ARRT and radiologic technologist. The most important skills for an mri technologist are patients, ARRT, and magnetic resonance imaging.
| Radiologic Technician | MRI Technologist | |
| Yearly salary | $50,622 | $77,257 |
| Hourly rate | $24.34 | $37.14 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 58,797 | 53,125 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 69% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| 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.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technologists are medical professionals who manage everything involved in the MRI machine. They operate the machines to get scans of the patients' brain, spinal cord, or muscles, which would help doctors identify or diagnose clients' illnesses and diseases. They help the patients prepare for the MRI scans and ensure that they are properly protected. They also carefully take direction from attending physicians to ensure that they scan the correct body part needed for the diagnosis. MRI technologists are also in charge of maintaining the MRI machine and working on repairs whenever needed.
Radiologic technicians and mri technologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Radiologic Technician | MRI Technologist | |
| Average salary | $50,622 | $77,257 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $79,000 | Between $42,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Modesto, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | TALENT Software Services | Siemens Healthineers |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a radiologic technician and an mri technologist in terms of educational background:
| Radiologic Technician | MRI Technologist | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 69% | Associate Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | Texas A&M University | Texas A&M University |
Here are the differences between radiologic technicians' and mri technologists' demographics:
| Radiologic Technician | MRI Technologist | |
| Average age | 43 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1% | Male, 43.6% Female, 56.4% |
| 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, 3.3% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 10.4% White, 69.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 12% |