If you’re a radiology technologist, there are a lot of opportunities out there in your field. Travel radiology tech jobs are one unique career choice that can come with a lot of great benefits. If you’re looking for a new journey in your career, consider becoming a traveling radiology technologist. Let’s talk about what this entails and why you should consider becoming a traveler.
Radiology Tech Jobs: What is a Radiology Technologist?
Before we talk about travel radiology tech jobs, it’s important to understand what radiology technologists do and what the career looks like. If you’re considering a career as a radiology tech, there are several things you need to know.
Daily Life for Radiology Tech Jobs
Radiology techs can work in a variety of settings, including:
- Hospitals
- Outpatient centers
- Medical labs
- Diagnostic labs
- Clinics
- Medical offices
Responsibilities of radiology tech jobs include:
- Positioning patients for imaging
- Taking radiology images
- Checking images for quality
- Accurately labeling images for the radiologist
- Maintaining radiology safety for patients, staff, and themselves
- Cleaning equipment between uses
How Much Radiology Tech Jobs Pay
Salary for radiology techs vary widely based on many factors, including geography, experience, and education. However, the average salary for a radiology technologist in 2019 was $62,120.
The top 5 paying states for radiology technologists include:
- California
- Hawaii
- Washington
- Massachusetts
- Alaska
This is according to data from 2019 about average radiology tech salaries.
Of course, traveling radiology tech jobs tend to pay more than average, so travelers often make much more than techs who take permanent staff positions.
Radiology Technologist Job Outlook
If you’re thinking about becoming a radiology tech, you’re probably wondering about how stable the career is. The good news is that there is a huge demand for radiology technologist and that is expected to stay the same for some time. For instance, the projected job growth from 2020 to 2030 for radiology technologists is 9%. With higher population and increasing age of the population, radiologic imaging is necessary for diagnosis and treatment of a variety of illnesses, so it’s likely that demand for this profession will stay high for years to come.
How to Become a Radiology Tech
Before you can take radiology tech jobs, you need to have the credentials and education of a radiology technologist. Higher education for this role is generally one to four years. The exact requirements for radiology techs vary from state to state. However, to become certified from the American Registry of Radiology Technologists, you do need at least an associate degree plus the training needed as a radiology tech.
To become a traveling radiology technologist, you also need to have at least two years of experience in your specialty. This is to help ensure you can provide quality care and also have the skills to acclimate quickly to different environments.
Pros of Travel Radiology Tech Jobs
There are many reasons to consider allied health travel jobs as a radiology tech. There are a lot of perks that come with being a travel radiology tech, including higher pay, being able to travel, having more opportunities for radiology tech jobs, and getting free housing and other benefits.
Higher Pay
One amazing advantage of becoming a traveling radiology technologist is the pay. Traveling healthcare professionals fill in for staffing gaps at facilities who need their help and are willing to pay a premium for their assistance. Therefore, as a traveler you can often make significantly more than someone else with similar background who takes a permanent position somewhere. There’s no set pay for travel radiology tech jobs, as it changes with each assignment. However, they almost always offer more than a permanent position because of the short notice and inconvenience of traveling and working in a facility for just 13 weeks or so.
Travel Around the Country
Also, you get to travel anywhere in the country as a traveling radiology tech. You can find radiology tech jobs in practically every state. So, if you have certain destinations you’ve always wanted to visit, it’s a great opportunity to do what you love, make some cash, and visit the places you’ve been dying to go to. Just make sure you work with a medical staffing agency that offers assignments in the places you want to go. Some agencies only operate regionally, but our team is nationwide.
More Opportunities
While there’s a huge demand for radiology technologists, the demand is higher or lower based on geography. For instance, a small community likely doesn’t need as many radiology techs as a large metropolitan area with a lot of nearby sporting and outdoor adventures that might cause broken bones and other injuries. Also, communities with older populations deal with higher rates of osteoporosis and therefore may need more qualified x-ray techs compared to younger areas.
Free Housing & Other Perks
Traveling radiology technologists also enjoy many other perks like free housing and tax-free stipends. Because you’re traveling to different cities or even states for work, you can take advantage of free housing or housing stipends. When you work with our team, you can choose between private, furnished housing or a tax-free housing stipend to find your own housing. You can also receive other tax-free stipends for things like travel and living expenses. Other benefits include full medical and dental insurance as well as 401K savings programs with matching up to 5%.
Disadvantages of Being a Traveling Radiology Tech
We’ve talked a lot about the advantages of becoming a traveling radiology technologist, but what about the disadvantages? There are certainly some to consider before taking travel radiology tech jobs, such as:
- Changing Pay Rates: Pay for every assignment is different, so your salary may change several times in a year. You’re in charge of which assignments you take, though, so you can set a minimum pay with your recruiter.
- Loneliness: Traveling often means not seeing your friends and family for periods of time, so there may be some loneliness. However, you can cut down on this by traveling with another allied health professional, a pet, or even your spouse and children.
- Working in Unfamiliar Environments: A lot of professionals love the challenge of adjusting to a new facility, but it is something that many people see as a disadvantage.
Make sure you weigh the pros and cons for yourself to see if the travel life is right for you.
Allied Health Travel Jobs from AHS MedStat – Medical Staffing Agency for Allied Health Pros
If you’re ready to start the adventurous life of a traveling allied health professional, get in touch with our team at AHS MedStat. We are a medical staffing agency that works only with the allied health industry, so we really understand your needs. Our teams work with you directly to understand your goals and help you achieve them. We assist with everything from matching you with the right assignments to helping you get your credentials as a traveler. Get started today by reaching out to our recruiters to discuss your career goals or browsing our real-time job board to see the types of opportunities we have for you.
