The question on anyones mind who wants to pursue a career as an x ray technician, is how long will my x ray training take? This all boils down to your goals, and your current training, or experience.

You can get a certificate in as little as one year, and jump right into a job as an x ray technician. Keep in mind, the longer you stay in school, the more likley your pay will be higher. With this in mind, you can stay in school longer and pursue a 2 year associate degree, or even a 4 year bachelor degree. The most common degree in the x ray field is the 2 year associate degree. If you like to take the lead, as a supervisor or an administrator, a 4 year bachelor degree will prepare you more for this role.

What are the basics of x ray technician training? First and foremost, you will learn instruction in patient care. As a tech, you will be dealing hands on with people on a daily basis. If you are not a people person, a career as a technician may not be for you.

During your training you will also learn how to use complex radiographic equipment, and the best techniques to do so. As far as classes go, you will study a bit in radiation physics, sciences including anatomy, physiology, radiobiology and pathology. When learning about direct patient contact, you will be taught, patient positioning, examination techniques, radiation safety, medical ethics and terminology, and the direct use of medical imaging devices.

After you have earned your certificate or degree as an x-ray technician, it is likely that you will be hired by a physician, hospital, or the Armed Forces. Although you can become employed as an x-ray technician with out becoming registered, it is important that you become registered because most employers prefer to hire a radiologist that is registered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. This is why it is critical to graduate from an accredited x ray technician program.

To maintain your registration after you have graduated, you will need to complete 24 hours of further education every other year. This will keep you up to date on the newest technology and use of the newest equipment.

Seeking higher education does not mean that you will have to spend the next four years of your life pursuing a particular career filled in a classroom. Technical and vocational schools offer hands-on training that can get you certified or allow you to earn a degree in as little as six months to two years depending on the career path you choose. Many technical schools are very versatile and teach a multitude of fast-track careers. Chicago has more than its fair share of technical schools that offer training programs in such fields as massage therapy, dental assistant, medical assistant, patient care technician, x-ray technician, veterinary technician, coding specialist, healthcare management, information technology and nursing.

These fast-track career fields mentioned above will offer you the opportunity to get in and out of school as fast as possible while earning a very respectable salary. Staying close to home applies less stress on a student, as apposed to a student who will leave his or her home to move closer to a college or university of their choice. Less stress, equates to a higher graduation success rate than a student who has to take on multiple responsibilities such as a part-time job to pay for bills related to living on your own that may be eliminated if you stay living at your current home.

Some of the schools listed below offer flexible program powers that allow you to work around your current schedule. Many times, technical schools offer day classes and night classes so that you do not have to quit your current job to attend a school program. So before leaving where you live, why not look for x ray technician schools in Chicago Illinois first.

Argosy University
Located at 350 N. Orleans St., Chicago, IL 60654
Argosy University offers programs in business administration, healthcare and psychology along with Dr. of education and counseling psychology and more.

Cortiva Institute
located at 17 N. State St., Chicago, IL 60602
Cortiva Institute offers the ability for you to learn the art of massage therapy.

Coyne American Institute
located at 230 W. Monroe Chicago, IL 60606
with the real world training you can launch your career here at Coyne American Institute as a medical administrative assistant, medical assistance, medical billing and coding specialist and more.

Everest College
located at 247 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60604
Everest College offers training programs in dental assisting, massage therapy and medical administrative assistant

Chicago Illinois School of Health Careers
located at 8750 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Chicago, IL 60631
offering classes in dental assisting, medical assisting and patient care

North Western Business College
located at 48 and 39 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60630
if you’re looking for a career in business northwestern business college offers courses as a coding specialist, healthcare billing specialist and health information technology

Westwood College
located at 17 N. State Street, Chicago, IL 60602
Westwood offers classes in information technology

The state of Illinois offer some great technical schools and many of the surrounding cities of Chicago offer many fast-track career minded schools. Cities like Crystal Lake Illinois, Melrose Park Illinois, Moline Illinois you are North Aurora Illinois, Quincy Illinois and Skokie Illinois. Remember staying close to home can provide multiple angles to help you achieve your goal of a degree and a fast-track career such as an x-ray technician, so about all possible remain at home and succeed in your career choice as an x ray tech.

Before we can just spit out a national average, it is good to take into account the many variables that play a part in what your average x ray technician salary will be. Obviously your schooling, or experience level will play a big part in how much you make. Digging a little deeper than your x ray technician training, is where you obtained your training from. Most employers will base your yearly salary on what accredited school program you attended.

Another factor that will play a big role on how much money you make yearly, is where you live geographically in the United States. You have to remember that salaries will vary depending on where you live. The salary of someone who lives in Los Angeles California will be different than someone who lives in Houston Texas or Miami Florida.

If you attend a one year x technician program, and received a certificate, you can expect to average about $56,000 per year. However, if you are an x-ray technician who went and got his bachelor’s degree, the national average is closer to $63,000 per year.

Remember that fresh out of a trade school or college, you will start at the bottom, and have to work your way up. Obviously your salary will increase as your experience and knowledge level increases. If you have less than two years of experience as an x-ray technician, your salary will be under $40,000 per year. If you have closer to five years experience as an x-ray technician, you can expect to see about $43,000 per year. With a little more experience under your belt, and boasting 6 to 10 years experience your x ray technician salary will be close to $55,000 per year you can expect to see a salary cap of about $65,000 per year after 11 years of experience.

Some courses can be found also at hospitals, universities, technical trade schools, and vocational institutes. Most courses can be completed in a matter of 2 years, but some can last as long as 4 years. You can pursue as much or as little schooling as you want, which can lead to a certificate, an associates degree, or a bachelors degree.

If you are still in grade school and are planning on attending one of the many x ray technician schools in your area, it is a good idea to take some relevant classes. Some of the classes you should take are anatomy, physiology, chemistry, microbiology, and math. It is also a good idea to become familiar with medical terminology. Some quick research online will familiarize you with some of the basic terms used in the medical field, and will give you a big heads up as you start your x ray schooling.

It is very important that you choose an accredited school to attend for your degree. Choosing an x ray school that specializes in health care is a good choice as well. Many employers look past your degree and look into what school you attended to receive your x ray training. If you are not sure if a school is accredited or not, you can easily do some research by getting a list from the joint review committee. They provide a free list of accredited programs in all of the technical fields.

It is a good idea to keep in mind that after you graduate from your x ray tech school, that you will then start on the job training. Each physician or hospital will want to train you to use their equipment in the way that they want you to use it. They will also give you a training course on customer service and how you are to deal with patients. Remember as an x ray technician you will have alot of hands on experience with people of all ages and statures. If you are not a people person, a career in this field is probably not for you.

Throughout this site I plan to find some of the best accredited x ray technician schools here in the states. I will look for and post experiences and reviews from students, staff members, and doctors who have hired former students. Please feel free to leave comments if you feel you have any useful information that can help someone looking to start a career as an x ray technician.