X-Ray / Radiology / Medical Certificates

Hospitals, Doctor's offices, out patient facilities all employ X-Ray Techs, right(?)... WRONG.

They usually employ people who are certified as X-Ray Techs. However, x-rays are just one of their job duties. Usually successful "X-Ray Techs" fill several jobs within the medical community. An X-Ray Tech may actually be a Medical Assistant who holds certification as an X-Ray Tech. Many Doctors today do not even employ X-Ray Techs due to the cost involved. They instead send patients to local hospitals and out patient facilities to get an x-ray taken.

I was approached this morning by a young lady who requested my opinion on her thoughts to attend a local school to earn a certificate as a "Limited Radiology Technician." The school is a state community college in this area. As far as schools go I believe they do a good job making affordable education available to the community.

The problem is that my experience has shown me that while the graduates of "Certificate" only programs may receive training and a good base knowledge in a field they do not have a fair chance to be competitive in an over populated field. Organizations hire those with the most education first and a person with a certificate only does not even clear the first round cut; No job.

It is difficult enough for a person with only an Associates degree and certifications to get a job in this field so why an individual thinks they can bypass the full education process and still be employable is beyond me. Would you want a brain surgeon to operate on you if they ONLY studied the brain and not the rest of the body? I think not.

In this job market less than half those that graduate with an Associates degree will even find a job in their chosen field. This is not 1995 anymore and those "Certificate programs" that worked well then do not get you a job today.

Get an education before you get the job specific training unless you like wasting your time.