Can't find work

I'm in the same situation as well as my classmates. It's the same for all of us x-ray techs across the country. New grads can't get work and experienced techs getting laid off.

right now is not good time to attend school for x-ray technologist, there are no jobs out there at this time. I know, I've been an x-ray technologist/mammo for the past 5 years and things are progressively getting worse. no jobs.

How can there be no jobs when the medical field (anything remotely relating to medical) is the hottest industry going...

Unless you do a student tech job while your in x-ray school it's very hard to get a job after because no one knows who you are and most places already have enough staff. As you go through your clinical rotations you'll notice they are most likely already well staffed.

All of these comments are so true, there are no jobs! Sorry to say but your best bet is going back to school for a modality like ultrasound or MRI. I have been in the field for 5yrs and things are bad, there are so many schools popping up they are flooding the market with techs and the hospitals are eliminating positions thats the real problem. I work at a very large facility in Chicago and in Radiology alone they eliminated 7 positions....best bet is go back to school. Its not just us either its nurses to, you know its bad when nurses are getting laid off!

Why aren't there any jobs? You can thank all the greedy x-ray schools. The field has become more and more flooded every year and have the schools cut enrollment? NO! There are too many schools for one and also too many small schools pumping out half ass techs. I can't count how many students I know of that have given up on trying to find jobs and going back to school because they couldn't find a job. I believe the x-ray programs should be regulated by the ARRT. There should be some kind of accountability. I think states should also mandate that only ARRT registered R.T.'s can practice. I can't believ they allow limited techs out there or these so called x-ray techs from places like Apollo college or these certificate programs. Sorry for the rant, I'm just really steamed!

Mathews70 in Oregon said: Why aren't there any jobs? You can thank all the greedy x-ray schools. The field has become more and more flooded every year and have the schools cut enrollment? NO! There are too many schools for one and also too many small schools pumping out half ass techs. I can't count how many students I know of that have given up on trying to find jobs and going back to school because they couldn't find a job. I believe the x-ray programs should be regulated by the ARRT. There should be some kind of accountability. I think states should also mandate that only ARRT registered R.T.'s can practice. I can't believ they allow limited techs out there or these so called x-ray techs from places like Apollo college or these certificate programs. Sorry for the rant, I'm just really steamed!

The problem is just as much the "colleges" as it is the certificate programs. The so called reputable college programs in the area we live ramped up enrollment over the last few years to a unsustainable degree, like drunken housing Czar building endless subdivisions in the middle of nowhere during the hieght of the housing boom. In addition, I agree that there are many low quality programs out there 2year, 4 year and Cerfiticate. I personally was trained by a JRCERT accrediated private hospital based cerfificate program with over 40 years of history that kept its enrollement low and taught it’s student right. I can tesitfy to the fact that it was much harder than any of the degreed programs for the students I teach in Portland who have far less clinical time and much less consitency of training. Years ago my teachers were talking about how the enrollement practices that other cerficate programs, community colleges and Univeristies were starting to practice would kill the job market and they were right. On an interesing note my school could not afford to stay open after 40 years so they were taken over by the local community college. Techs I have talked to

ive been in san antonio for 11 months and i just got laid off and I can't find a job.. i've been an xray tech for 9yrs and I can't get anyone to call me back... WHY!!!! there are alot of jobs in san antonio especially PRN but I cant even seem to get a prn job. if anyone knows of a job in san antonio please write back I desperately need a job...

sharon in Midland, Texas said: How can there be no jobs when the medical field (anything remotely relating to medical) is the hottest industry going...

the people in those jobs aren't leaving. where i live, there are three schools graduating a minimum of 20 students a year.. that's 60 students all looking for jobs at the same time..

Here is a link to an Ancillary Services Tech job at Mercy Hospital in Fort Smith, Arkansas as of July 2, 2009. Hope that helps someone get a job.

Hi Monica. I read your email and first I wanted to know if you found a job and also what is the pay over in San Antonio for a 7yr or more experienced x-ray tech. We live in San Diego and the pay here is about $30 hour due to cost of living. My husband will retire in about two years from the navy and we are looking to relocate to San Antonio.

monica in San Antonio, Texas said: ive been in san antonio for 11 months and i just got laid off and I can't find a job.. i've been an xray tech for 9yrs and I can't get anyone to call me back... WHY!!!! there are alot of jobs in san antonio especially PRN but I cant even seem to get a prn job. if anyone knows of a job in san antonio please write back I desperately need a job...

two possible reasons "why" you can't find a job.
1st: hiring freeze
2nd: "they" are just rehiring their interns at techs instead to save money.

I am strongly looking into the medical field, please advise the best field. Pondering on parametic, or Lvn.

1st Timer in Corpus Christi, Texas said: I am strongly looking into the medical field, please advise the best field. Pondering on parametic, or Lvn.

Would you consider going outside your field to find work?

anonymous in Phoenix, Arizona said: I am a new grad with a ARRT license in X-Ray. I've been looking for work for the past two months and it seems as if no one wants to give me a chance. There are a lot of openings in AZ. But I guess because I'm a new grad no one want to be the first. Any suggestion on how I can get work.

I know what you mean, Im in Fl. and couldn't find a job, or nobody wanted to give a new grad a chance. Now it's time to renew my licence and never got to use it.

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Yup. Contrary to what the program advertisements say there is no need or shortage of medical people. Unless you do an internship or perform A+ at your clinics your screwed. Best thing to do is renew the license and do another modality only this time do an internship and really impress your clinics!!

It is a very bad thing here we start school and there is to many jobs in this feild but by the time i graduated in 08 they were all gone I still have not been able to find a job I have a degree and am forced to revert to minimum wage jobs

F@*k X-ray schools they knew this!!!!!

They sure did!

I understand what you mean and agree completely! I spent 5 years getting my bachelor's and some of the best training at OIT it Klamath Falls, even did an externship a trauma II hospital and still have not had any luck getting employment... Everywhere I apply wants more experience, which I understand, but where am I supposed to get this experience? There definitely needs to be some sort of regulation on the # of techs that are being mass-produced!

Mathews70 in Oregon said: Why aren't there any jobs? You can thank all the greedy x-ray schools. The field has become more and more flooded every year and have the schools cut enrollment? NO! There are too many schools for one and also too many small schools pumping out half ass techs. I can't count how many students I know of that have given up on trying to find jobs and going back to school because they couldn't find a job. I believe the x-ray programs should be regulated by the ARRT. There should be some kind of accountability. I think states should also mandate that only ARRT registered R.T.'s can practice. I can't believ they allow limited techs out there or these so called x-ray techs from places like Apollo college or these certificate programs. Sorry for the rant, I'm just really steamed!

There is no "magic" profession that's immune to the economic hardship being experienced in all industries. Or didn't you know that there are 15.4 million people jobless in the US (November stats)?

This recession is not the fault of hospitals who demanded more radiographers, nor the fault of programs (both certificate and degree) who complied by creating more programs to graduate more students.

As people get sicker and RT's retire, there is a need for more RTs to fill open positions. In response, new programs open, current programs allow more students. The news spreads that healthcare is the hottest trend, students flock to those schools, sure that they'll graduate into the promised land of opportunity and bountiful pay. Of course, with all those new and expanded programs pumping out new graduates, open positions fill quickly and suddenly there is a glut of radiographers - and no jobs. This happens at least once a decade.

Unfortunately, the current down side of this cycle happened in the middle of a brutal recession when even hospitals that are expanding cannot afford to hire the professionals to fully staff their facility.

No one saw this coming - not the ARRT, not states, not hospitals, not radiography programs, not radiographers and not students.

I'm sorry if you thought that healthcare was untouchable. But it is what it is.

I live in Durham,NC and we have four x-ray schools here that were putting out 20 students per school per year. Since all the jobs have dried up they have all dropped to 4 students per school.

In response to Heather in new haven. I beg to differ with your comment that no one saw this coming. I went back to school in 2001 to crosstrain into Radiaon Therapy and there were tons of jobs available back then. The xray market started tightening up around late 2005 and has been in steady decline eversince. I am not saying that the poor economy does not play a role in these layoffs but schools and especially internet programs have been pumping out way too many student for quite some time now. Thus, the market is saturated with too many techs. Until some programs shut down and enrollment drops off this problem will not disappear even if the economy turns aroundbecause supply will way exceed demand.

rgood, it's the recession that no one counted on. This cycle of "shortage of qualified imagers/schools bump up enrollments and new schools open/glut of new graduates/job market saturation" has happened every 8-10 years since the late 1970's.

Because the current market is saturated, fewer students will be interested, schools will cut enrollment, and we'll begin the cycle all over again.

Wy is life so hard. I finally decide to study something that i like, and it was so hard for me, but i did it, and what happened because i don't have experiance i can't get a job any where, so i have to renew my license for second time and still no job, and i have to do it just in case some come out, i need an advise or solution for this situation, since the economi is really bad and money today is hard to have or keep.

Renew your licence for ARRT and see if you can't go into another modality. Find someone who is will to cross train you. That's what I did. 2 yrs. no job now I'm doing a higher modality. If you don't have connections find/make them.

sometech in Herndon, Virginia said: Renew your licence for ARRT and see if you can't go into another modality. Find someone who is will to cross train you. That's what I did. 2 yrs. no job now I'm doing a higher modality. If you don't have connections find/make them.

But in order to do ARRT i have to study more because my licence is just basic x-ray machine operator....:(

what do you mean by basic? as in you can only do basic x-rays like chest, KUB etc?

sometech in Herndon, Virginia said: what do you mean by basic? as in you can only do basic x-rays like chest, KUB etc?

No it is only for clinic with 24 beds and if i want to get advanced i have to study more and i don't want to do that anymore....

Maluli in Hollywood, Florida said: No it is only for clinic with 24 beds and if i want to get advanced i have to study more and i don't want to do that anymore....

Look on miracleworker.com for jobs

New grad people! As far as xray examinations would be 30,40, 50,60$ per study nobody can afford to keep xray services in their medical offices.This terrible situation happened 14 years ago because insurance companies(including Medicaid)decreased xray to shameful prices because they want to compensate their loss due to the numerous MRI exams. This is a shame that in medical field the most important part of treating patients is diagnostic imaging. And if one exam cost 1000$ and other 30$ that something wrong in our system !!!

I just graduated from a NCT school, and all these comments above are so true.
An in-depth job search, seems to me that many clinics and hospitals are phasing out RTs and hiring MA/NCT combinations. As I am not interested in nursing, the MA is not an option. However, I am seeing a lot of MRI/NCT and CT/NCT combos as well. True that most want experience, but that's just the way all industries are. With the glut of grads this isn't going to be an easy field to crack - I'm just going to keep plugging along.....

NATE_EASON@YAHOO.COM in Durham, North Carolina said: I live in Durham,NC and we have four x-ray schools here that were putting out 20 students per school per year. Since all the jobs have dried up they have all dropped to 4 students per school.

i know of NO schools who have cut back the number of people to join. the schools are making money and so is the ARRT. Its all about greed

anonymous in Phoenix, Arizona said: I am a new grad with a ARRT license in X-Ray. I've been looking for work for the past two months and it seems as if no one wants to give me a chance. There are a lot of openings in AZ. But I guess because I'm a new grad no one want to be the first. Any suggestion on how I can get work.

We are hiring at our brand new urgent care center in Flagstaff Arizona. Looking for two full time x-ray techs. Go to our web page and download an application. www.troyerurgentcare.com Do it soon, as we are opening in November......

GRT in Flagstaff, Arizona said: We are hiring at our brand new urgent care center in Flagstaff Arizona. Looking for two full time x-ray techs. Go to our web page and download an application. www.troyerurgentcare.com Do it soon, as we are opening in November......

would apply, but thats 1 hell of a commute from Philly

I believe that the x-ray schools are particularly to blame. Here we have at least 6 x-ray schools within an hours drive. Each school graduates 20 up to 45 techs a year. They have even begun to shorten the hospital based programs from 2 years to 18 months. This over flow of techs has filled the market so much employers practically threaten their employees cause there are techs out there without jobs willing to work for half the pay. As for becoming registered in another modality, employers find it cheaper to hire people without being registered to on the job train and make x-ray tech pay. This is the problem I ran into, being registered in MRI. Most places don't want a registered tech.

Iam an mri technologist looking for a PRN in the Tampa bay area. I graduated from MDCC in 1996.( mri certificate program) I have 17 years experience as an mri tech, bilingual fluent English- Spanish. Please fellow tech if you know any openings send me a e-mail to arni135@yahoo.com.

Heather in New Haven, Connecticut said: There is no "magic" profession that's immune to the economic hardship being experienced in all industries. Or didn't you know that there are 15.4 million people jobless in the US (November stats)?

This recession is not the fault of hospitals who demanded more radiographers, nor the fault of programs (both certificate and degree) who complied by creating more programs to graduate more students.

As people get sicker and RT's retire, there is a need for more RTs to fill open positions. In response, new programs open, current programs allow more students. The news spreads that healthcare is the hottest trend, students flock to those schools, sure that they'll graduate into the promised land of opportunity and bountiful pay. Of course, with all those new and expanded programs pumping out new graduates, open positions fill quickly and suddenly there is a glut of radiographers - and no jobs. This happens at least once a decade.

Unfortunately, the current down side of this cycle happened in the middle of a brutal recession when even hospitals that are expanding cannot afford to hire the professionals to fully staff their facility.

No one saw this coming - not the ARRT, not states, not hospitals, not radiography programs, not radiographers and not students.

I'm sorry if you thought that healthcare was untouchable. But it is what it is.

I have been in the field since 1984 and I saw this coming in 2006. Between community colleges and the internet programs it was already starting toflood back then now it s completely flooded. When you are talking about the medical field it is a huge industry. I know for a fact that respiratory and physical therapy are very much in demand so is occupational therapy. I have to disagre that the arrt didn't see this coming because they stand to profit by more people taking the exams, and they are the ones reporting to bls that this is still a manpower shortage field.

Heather in New Haven, Connecticut said: There is no "magic" profession that's immune to the economic hardship being experienced in all industries. Or didn't you know that there are 15.4 million people jobless in the US (November stats)?

This recession is not the fault of hospitals who demanded more radiographers, nor the fault of programs (both certificate and degree) who complied by creating more programs to graduate more students.

As people get sicker and RT's retire, there is a need for more RTs to fill open positions. In response, new programs open, current programs allow more students. The news spreads that healthcare is the hottest trend, students flock to those schools, sure that they'll graduate into the promised land of opportunity and bountiful pay. Of course, with all those new and expanded programs pumping out new graduates, open positions fill quickly and suddenly there is a glut of radiographers - and no jobs. This happens at least once a decade.

Unfortunately, the current down side of this cycle happened in the middle of a brutal recession when even hospitals that are expanding cannot afford to hire the professionals to fully staff their facility.

No one saw this coming - not the ARRT, not states, not hospitals, not radiography programs, not radiographers and not students.

I'm sorry if you thought that healthcare was untouchable. But it is what it is.

I completely disagree Heather. This has been going on since before the current recession. The Radiology job market has been declining steadily for the last 10yrs and at a more accelerated pace the last 2-3yrs. If you are currently workiing as a tech hold on for dear life and pray you don't get laid off. If you are a student or considering going into x-ray cut your losses now while you can. Consider it a life lesson and look for another profession.

I agree with drones 100%. Heather is right in that the field does cycle but we were due for that to happen in 2010 and it didn't instead it is as flooded as i have ever seen it i have people fighting over prn poisition in clovis new mexico. I have recieved resumes as far way as florida, missou, and massachusettes. I have been in the field since 1984 and this is the worse downfall that I have ever seen. Not too mention what has happened to wages it is vvery depressing.

Roy in Texico, New Mexico said: I agree with drones 100%. Heather is right in that the field does cycle but we were due for that to happen in 2010 and it didn't instead it is as flooded as i have ever seen it i have people fighting over prn poisition in clovis new mexico. I have recieved resumes as far way as florida, missou, and massachusettes. I have been in the field since 1984 and this is the worse downfall that I have ever seen. Not too mention what has happened to wages it is vvery depressing.

when do you think the cycle is going to improve. One of my co-worker told me that he read somewhere that the first wave of people going to retire from this field is going to be at the end of 2011.

Who knows going from previous cycles we should have had a upturn around 2010, but that sure did not happen. I can't foresee anything getting better until some schools start closing down and the economy drastically improving. Neither of which seems to be happening at the current time, however I have heard that enrollment in some programs is decreasing. More prospective students need to be aware of the state of the imaging field now. Most of the students thay I have talked to are clueless about the oversaturated state of our profession. They are going into this because it is in the medical field and assuming there are plenty of jobs when there are actually none. All the instructors are telling them is that the market is tight and they have to move to find jobs then I ask them what do you think all the other countless number of schools are telling their students??? The same line of bull.

Roy in Texico, New Mexico said: Who knows going from previous cycles we should have had a upturn around 2010, but that sure did not happen. I can't foresee anything getting better until some schools start closing down and the economy drastically improving. Neither of which seems to be happening at the current time, however I have heard that enrollment in some programs is decreasing. More prospective students need to be aware of the state of the imaging field now. Most of the students thay I have talked to are clueless about the oversaturated state of our profession. They are going into this because it is in the medical field and assuming there are plenty of jobs when there are actually none. All the instructors are telling them is that the market is tight and they have to move to find jobs then I ask them what do you think all the other countless number of schools are telling their students??? The same line of bull.

What previous cycles are you talking about? I worked in the field since 1986 and have never seen it "cycle" before.

HV64 in San Diego, California said: when do you think the cycle is going to improve. One of my co-worker told me that he read somewhere that the first wave of people going to retire from this field is going to be at the end of 2011.

Actually I've been hearing the exact opposite. Some of my former co-workers who are close to early retirement have said they've put it off for 5yrs because of the economy. The only person in my former department who has retired in last 5yrs did not have his position filled, not even by a PRN. People are forgetting that radiology departments are having to cut back.

I have been in the field since 84. Late 80's and early 90's there was a shortage of techs mid 90's a glut of techs. Late 90's early 2000's another shortage of techs here we are with another glut since at least 2007. This is is the worse downfall I have ever seen. If you don't believe me look at previous issues of advance compare the number of available jobs in 2000 compared to now.

Roy, I've been in the field since '86 and I never once filled out an application until after I already had a job. I would just call a facility that I thought I might like working at and ask to talk to the manager. They were practically begging me to work their. I got my first job in '86 when a recruiter stopped me as I was leaving my clinical site.
In the mid 90's I used to get calls from former employers asking me if I wanted a job and they would pay me a $5K sign on bonus moving expenses if I took the job. I was getting double time, + time and half for overtime, to work extra shifts.
Early 2000's I was still taking side jobs at ortho clinics, where I did nothing but take x-rays. No paper work at all.
During the mid 2000's things rapidly changed and there were no more calls and so I started work towards a career change.
As long as I've been a tech Advance used to have more pages of job postings than actual articles, up until the last 5yrs.

You are right and like isaid this is the worse downturn that i have ever seen in my career. And it isnt just radiology all modalities are flooded I Have been in radiation therapy since 2001. Too many schools pumping out too many techs. Community colleges and internet programs which are unaccredited have ruined these fields.

I am an unemployed tech, laid off after 25 years experience. A big part of the problem is the "user friendly" equipment being sold to offices and small clinics (Aim and Shoot.)
Doctors buy this equipment, and a trainer comes in for a couple of hours and shows the entire staff (including Front Desk!!) how to operate it. No training on proper protection or positioning. Here in TX, the doc sends one employee to a few weeks x-ray certification school and he is covered. Not legal, but he gets away with it. Do patients get safe diagnostic exams? I think not.

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