Radiologic Tech Salaries Up; Inflation Up More

Given the dismal economic reports we’ve been hearing for what seems like forever, we’re not sure whether this qualifies as good news or bad news. A survey by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) reports that salaries of RTs rose by 5.2 percent during the past three years, to an average of $61,733. However, the U.S. inflation rate during that period was 6.51 percent.

Apparently, the RTs themselves figure that it could have been worse. The ASRT takes its survey every three years. Last time, in 2007, 48.6 percent of the respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their pay. This time, the percentage was 54.5. That’s despite the fact that 37.4 percent of this year’s respondents said they hadn’t received a pay increase within the past year, compared with 17.6 percent in 2007.

Said Myke Kudlas, ASRT vice president of education and research:

Many factors undoubtedly contributed to the slower growth of salaries in the past three years, including a sluggish national economy, the equalization of supply and demand for medical imaging personnel, and changes within health care.

Lagging behind inflation were:

• Nuclear medicine technologists, up 2.5 percent to $70,822
• Radiographers, up 3.1 percent to $53,953
• Cardiovascular interventional technologists, up 5.4 percent to $64,614
• Computed tomography technologists, up 4.6 percent to $60,586
• Magnetic resonance technologists, up 5.1 percent to $65,098

Some specialties beat inflation:

• Radiation therapists, up 10.7 percent
• Quality management technologists, up 10 percent
• Medical dosimetrists, up 9.3 percent
• Sonographers, up 8.5 percent

Mammographers, with a 6.5 percent increase, kept pace with the cost of living. (The ASRT didn’t provide salary figures for mammographers or any of the specialties whose salary increases outpaced inflation.)

Of course, sometimes it’s not what you do but where you do it. California RTs reported the highest average annual salary at $82,753, followed by Massachusetts at $76,840. Least prosperous were Alabamians at $49,531, followed by North Dakotans at $51,930.

The ASRT sent questionnaires in February to a random sampling of registered technologists in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It received 9,068 completed responses by the mid-April deadline.

Related seminar: The Business of Radiology