Schools for Radiology Techs Columbia PA 17512 Archives - Find X-Ray and Radiology Tech Schools

How to Select a Radiology Technician College near Columbia Pennsylvania

Columbia PA x-ray tech internship program Congrats on your decision to enroll in an x-ray tech school near Columbia PA so you can become a radiologic technologist. But now that you have decided to go into the satisfying field of healthcare, just how do you set about choosing the right college and program so that you will obtain the appropriate training to become a qualified professional? And because most states do mandate that x-ray technicians become licensed, based on where you subsequently practice you might require training to pass a licensing exam. So it’s important that you research each of the schools you are considering in order to compare each program. A number of students begin by searching for technical schools or colleges that are within commuting distance of their residences. Next, they compare tuition and usually settle on the lowest cost. But while expense and location must be considered, there are other significant qualifications as well. For example, you should ask whether or not the radiology tech schools have earned accreditation, or if they sponsor internships. These inquiries and others you should ask the schools you are considering are provided later in this article. But first, let’s explore what a radiologic technician does and the degrees and training options that are available.

Radiology Technician Career Description

There are several professional designations for x-ray techs (technicians or technologists). They may also be referred to as radiologic technicians or technologists, radiographers or radiology techs. No matter what the name, each has the same principal job function, which is to utilize imaging machines to internally visualize patients for the objective of diagnosis and treatment. A number of radiologic technologists might also administer radiation therapy for treating cancer. Some opt to perform as generalists, while others may choose a specialization, for example mammography. They can work in Columbia PA hospitals, clinics, family practices or outpatient diagnostic imaging centers. The imaging technologies that an X-Ray technologist may utilize include:

Traditional and specialized X-Rays
Computerized tomography (CT) or “CAT” scans
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Sonography or ultrasound
Fluoroscopy

Radiographers must maintain their equipment and frequently assess its performance and safety. They are additionally required to keep detailed records of each of their diagnostic procedures. As Columbia PA health practitioners, they are held to a high professional standard and code of conduct.

X-Ray Technician Degrees Available

x-ray machine in Columbia PA The primary prerequisite for enrolling in an x-ray tech school is to have received a high school diploma or equivalent. Radiologic technologist students have the option to earn either an Associate or a Bachelor’s Degree. An Associate Degree, which is the most typical among technicians, usually takes 18 months to 2 years to finish based upon the program and course load. A Bachelor’s Degree will take longer at up to 4 years to finish and is more comprehensive in scope. Most students select a degree major in Radiography, but there are additional similar majors that are acceptable as well. Something to consider is that Columbia PA radiographer schools have a practical training or lab component as a component of their curriculum. It may often be satisfied by taking part in an externship program which a large number of schools sponsor through local hospitals and clinics in their region. After you have graduated from one of the degree programs, you must abide by any licensing or certification requirements in Pennsylvania or the state you will be working as applicable.

Radiologic Technologist Certification and Licensing

After you have graduated from an Radiologist school, based on the state where you will be employed you may need to be licensed. Most states do mandate licensing, and their requirements differ so check with your state. At present, all states that do mandate licensure will accept The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) certification examination for the purpose of licensing, but several approve other options for testing also. Some states also require certification as a component of the licensing process, if not it is optional. However, many Columbia PA employers would rather hire radiology techs that are certified so it could enhance your career options to become certified. ARRT’s certification program requires graduation from an accepted program in addition to a passing score on their rigorous exam. ARRT also demands re-certification every two years, which can be fulfilled with 24 credits of continuing ed, or by passing an examination.

Online Radiology Tech Degrees

attending x-ray tech school online in Columbia 17512 As a component of any degree program, x-ray tech colleges will have practical or lab training included in their course of study. This is the same for online degree colleges. So while you can still earn your online degree, a substantial portion of the training will be satisfied either in a school lab or in an externship off-campus. Practical training is usually carried out in area hospitals, outpatient clinics or private practices in sponsorship with the schools. However the online section of the training can be accessed in the comfort of your Columbia PA residence. Students who continue working while earning their degree typically discover that the online style of learning is much more convenient with their busy schedules. Plus online schools are frequently cheaper than traditional alternatives. Along with lower tuition, expenditures for commuting and study materials can be lessened as well. But just make certain that the online college you pick is accredited (more on the benefits of accreditation later). So if you are motivated enough to learn with this less formalized type of training, then online classes may be the ideal option for you.

Questions to Ask Radiology Tech Schools

Once you have selected the type of degree that you want to earn, you can start the process of searching for and evaluating Columbia PA x-ray technician colleges. You will also need to decide if you want to attend classes online or commute to a nearby campus. If you choose the latter, then naturally the location of the college will be relevant. The price of tuition and secondary expenditures will be a determining factor also. But in addition to cost and location, what more should you consider when evaluating schools? Well, you should check out if the colleges are accredited, and if they provide internship or externship programs. To help you uncover some of these essential details prior to making your selection, we have assembled a list of questions that you need to ask the schools you are considering.

Are the Radiology Tech Colleges Accredited? A large number of radiology technician schools have obtained some type of accreditation, whether regional or national. Even so, it’s still imperative to verify that the program and school are accredited. One of the most highly respected accrediting organizations in the field of radiology is the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT). Schools earning accreditation from the JRCERT have gone through a rigorous examination of their teachers and course materials. If the school is online it may also receive accreditation from the Distance Education and Training Council, which focuses on online or distance learning. All accrediting organizations should be acknowledged by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. Along with guaranteeing a premium education, accreditation will also help in getting financial assistance and student loans, which are frequently not accessible for non-accredited colleges. Accreditation may also be a pre-requisite for licensing and certification as required. And many Columbia PA employers will only hire a graduate of an accredited program for entry level openings.

Are Internships Offered? Find out if the Pennsylvania radiology technician schools you are evaluating have relationships with local hospitals or clinics for internship programs. Internships are not only a terrific manner to get practical experience in a clinical setting, they are additionally a way to fulfill the clinical training requirement for most programs. As a supplemental benefit, they can help students and graduates form professional relationships in the Columbia PA medical community and assist with obtaining employment.

Is Job Placement Help available? You will most likely want to hit the ground running after graduation, but finding that initial job in a new profession can be difficult without assistance. Find out if the x-ray tech schools you are considering have job placement programs and what their success rates are. Rapid and high placement rates are a good sign that the schools have large networks and great relationships with Columbia PA healthcare employers. It also substantiates that their graduates are highly regarded and sought after.

Where is the College Located? For many students, the school they pick will have to be within travelling distance of their Columbia PA residence. Individuals who have chosen to attend online classes obviously will not have to trouble themselves with the location of the campus. However, the availability of local internships will be of importance. Something to consider is that if you decide to enroll in a college that is out of state or perhaps out of your local area, you may have to pay a higher tuition. State colleges normally charge higher tuitions for out of state residents. And community colleges often charge a higher tuition to those students that live outside of their districts.

What Size are the Classes ? Unless you are the kind of student that prefers to sit far in the back of class or hide in the crowd, you will probably prefer a small class size. Smaller classes enable more individual participation and one-on-one instruction. Ask the Columbia PA colleges you are considering what the average student to teacher ratio is for their classes. If practical you may prefer to sit in on one or more classes before making your final decision. This will also give you an opportunity to speak with a few of the students and instructors to get their perspectives regarding the radiology tech program also.

Does the School Accommodate your Schedule? And finally you must verify that the radiographer school you finally select can furnish the class schedule you need. This is especially important if you decide to continue working while you attend school. If you need to schedule evening or weekend classes in Columbia PA, make certain that they are offered. If you can only attend part-time, find out if that is an alternative and how many courses or credit hours you would have to enroll in. Also, ask what the protocol is for making up any classes that you might miss due to illness, work or family obligations.

Why Did You Desire to Be an Xray Technician?

When getting ready to interview for an X-Ray Tech position, it's a good idea to reflect on questions you could be asked. Among the questions that interviewers frequently ask radiographer applicants is "What made you decide on radiography as a profession?". What the interviewer is trying to learn is not merely the private reasons you might have for becoming an X-Ray tech, but also what characteristics and talents you possess that make you good at your profession. You will likely be asked questions relating exclusively to radiography, along with a significant number of routine interview questions, so you need to ready several ideas about how you want to respond to them. Considering there are several variables that go into selecting a career, you can address this fundamental question in a number of ways. When readying an answer, attempt to include the reasons the work appeals to you in addition to the abilities you possess that make you an exceptional X-Ray tech and the ideal choice for the job. Don't try to memorize an answer, but write down a few concepts and topics that relate to your personal experiences and strengths. Reading through sample answers can help you to formulate your own concepts, and inspire ideas of what to discuss to wow the interviewer.

Choose the Ideal Radiology Tech College near Columbia PA

Picking the appropriate radiology technician school is an important first step toward starting a fulfilling new career furnishing diagnostic medical services to patients. The suitable radiographer must be in good physical condition. X-Ray techs regularly stand for the greater part of the workday and position and sometimes lift the patient to obtain the proper image. Prospects must also demonstrate a capability to pay strict attention to detail and to comply with the safety guidelines designed to protect both the medical team and the patient. X-Ray technicians work very closely with patients, other techs as well as the radiologists and other doctors. Having social skills is a necessity in order to have a productive work environment and deliver the best possible patient care. As has been addressed in this report, there are several questions that you should ask each college you are assessing before making your ultimate decision. This is just as true whether you decide on an online program or commute to classes on-campus. By asking the right questions you can evaluate and compare each school so you can narrow down your options before making your decision. And with the proper education and your motivation to be successful, you can reach your goal to work as a radiology tech in Columbia PA.

Some Background on Columbia Pennsylvania

Columbia, Pennsylvania

Columbia, formerly Wright's Ferry, is a borough (town) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Harrisburg on the east (left) bank of the Susquehanna River, across from Wrightsville and York County and just south of U.S. Route 30. The settlement was founded in 1726 by Colonial English Quakers from Chester County led by entrepreneur and evangelist John Wright. Establishment of the eponymous Wright's Ferry, the first commercial Susquehanna crossing in the region, inflamed territorial conflict with neighboring Maryland but brought growth and prosperity to the small town, which was just a few votes shy of becoming the new United States' capital. Though besieged for a short while by Civil War destruction, Columbia remained a lively center of transport and industry throughout the 19th century, once serving as a terminus of the Pennsylvania Canal. Later, however, the Great Depression and 20th-century changes in economy and technology sent the borough into decline. It is notable today as the site of one of the world's few museums devoted entirely to horology.

The area around present-day Columbia was originally populated by Native American tribes, most notably the Susquehannocks, who migrated to the area between 1575 and 1600[citation needed] after separating[citation needed] from the Iroquois Confederacy. They established villages just south of Columbia, in what is now Washington Boro[citation needed], as well as claiming at least hunting lands as far south as Maryland and Northern Virginia.[3]Captain John Smith reported on the Susquehannock in glowing superlatives when a traveling group visited Jamestown, Virginia;[3] he estimated their numbers to be about 2,000 in the early 1600s. The French ran across them in the area around Buffalo, apparently visiting the Wenro, and suggesting their numbers were far greater. The Province of Maryland fought a declared war for nearly a decade, signing a peace in 1632, against the Susquehannock Confederation who were allied to New Sweden and furnishing fire arms to the Susquehannocks in exchange for furs.[3] The American Heritage Book of Indians reports the tribe occupied the entire Susquehanna Drainage Basin[3] from the divide with the Mohawk River in lower New York State and part of the west side of the Chesapeake Bay in the Province of Virginia, while noting the confederation numbered between 10-20,000 in the mid-1660s when they came close to wiping out two Nations of the Iroquois.[3] An virulent epidemic struck the Susquehannock towns during 1668 or 1669 and is believed[3] to have lasted or recurred or morphed to plagues of other disease possibly killing up to 90% of the Amerindian nations people. By 1671-1672 they were beset on all sides[3]—with attacks from colonial settlers, raids from the weakened Iroquois and the long subjugated Lenape band occupying the Poconos and Lehigh Valley. In that decade, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York all claimed the Susquehannock lands of the Wyoming Valley, where the remnants of the nation were to recoil into a few scant under populated towns. In 1678, the Governor of New York would sign a treaty with the League of the Iroquois requiring them to take in the Susquehannocks. The Iroquoian cultures universally supporting adoption, absorbed the people. Small bands moved west across the Susquehanna to new villages such as Conestoga Town and some are believed to have trekked through the gaps of the Allegheny to the virtually empty lands beyond the Alleghenies, perhaps mingling there with other Iroquoian peoples such as the Seneca, Wenro and Erie peoples forming the new clans and towns as the (new) Mingo people whose small bands known to be present in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio in the early 1800s.[3]

In 1724, John Wright, an English Quaker, traveled to the Columbia area (then a part of Chester County) to explore the land and proselytize to a Native American tribe, the Shawnee, who had established a settlement along Shawnee Creek. Wright built a log cabin nearby on a tract of land first granted to George Beale by William Penn in 1699, and stayed for more than a year. The area was then known as Shawanatown.

When Wright returned in 1726 with companions Robert Barber and Samuel Blunston, they began developing the area, Wright building a house about a hundred yards from the edge of the Susquehanna River in the area of today's South Second and Union Streets. Susanna Wright later built Wright's Ferry Mansion, the oldest existing house in Columbia, dating 1738. She live in this house with her brother James, and his wife Rhoda, and possibly the first of their many children. The home is open for tours as a house museum and is located at Second and Cherry Streets.

Robert Barber constructed a sawmill in 1727 and later built a home near the river on the Washington Boro Pike, along what is now Route 441. The home still stands, across from the Columbia Wastewater Treatment Plant, and is the second oldest in the borough (after Wright’s Ferry Mansion).