Radiologist Assistant Education And Training

A radiologist assistant (RA) is a radiography technician, or a radiographer who has taken additional education and certifications. Some of the more advance imaging jobs can be performed by these people, and they are not required to work directly under supervision. In many cases, the radiologist assistant will operate in quite an autonomous way, not being under the view of a radiologist, but merely operating under the auspices of a licensed physician who is a radiologist.

In the United States, the RA position is relatively new, and there are fewer than fifty courses to be taken. More and more universities are expected to follow suit as radiology assisting becomes more accepted. Right now, more and more universities are beginning to offer RA courses. The courses and the material involved are new, so they are still under development.

It is important that you seek out a course recognized by the ARRT, or American Registry of Radiologic Technologist.

There are, as of in 2010, about 11 programs in the United States which are offered for the radiologist assistant program. These confer degrees at either the Bachelor's degree or the Master's degree level. In the radiology field, it is impossible to obtain a degree lower than a Bachelor's.

You will need to both complete the course and graduate in good standing if you wish to become a radiology assistant. Accredited RA programs are out there, but they will only accept those who already have several years as a technician under their belt.

The curriculum of the degree programs for a radiologist assistant program typically require about two years of study to finish components of study will include: assessment of the patients, care and treatment plans, testing and diagnosis, information management, radio-biology, clinical radiology, pharmacology, legal aspects of health care and medical ethics.

If you elect to take a Master's Degree level radiologist assistant course you will also be required to produce a master's thesis in order to complete your course. In addition to the educational requirements to graduate from the accredited program of study, you may also need to add continuing education to remain certified and to continue in your employment.

Once you have actually graduated, you will need to take and pass an exam in order to practice. The state might not demand you obtain state licensing, but your accreditor will have the final say. Only a fraction of the states now require a state license to practice.

There is a certification examination which is offered by the ARRT that must be taken in order to acquire your Registered Radiology Assistant certification.

While you are only a Radiology Assistant, the ARRT still requires that you become certified in Advance Cardiac Life Support which is a certification provided by the American Heart Association just like other medical profession such as nurses and physician assistants.

Your radiologist assistant licensing and registration must be renewed each year and you must maintain your radiology technician certification by renewing it every two years.

Your radiologist assistant job will be contingent on an annual renewal. They are also required to keep their technician certifications current by paying the renewal fees and filing application every two years. In order to perform as a radiologist assistant you must also be a radiologic technologist.

You will find that many of the procedures you perform as a radiologist assistant will be the same as that which is done by a full fledged radiologist. As a radiologist assistant you will be assisting or performing various invasive techniques like fluoroscopy, x-rays, and even MRI's. Once the RA completes the tests in question, the results need to be sent to the licensed radiologist for a conclusion.

The need for new graduate radiology assistants, according to the ASRT is expected to grow exponentially in the next decade. There are currently not enough radiologists or radiologist assistants to keep apace of the work that is already being done. There are a number of people out there who need diagnostic testing, and as a result, the field will grow considerably over the next few years.

In 2009 and 2010, the American Medical Association stated that the need for radiologists is growing along with their popularity in the medical community. In addition to that it has been noted that the expected salary of a licensed radiologist assistant can be around $100,00 per year depending on the area.