ARRT Certification Eligibility and Requirements

Are you a radiation therapist or are you looking to get the right accreditation? While being a radiation therapist might mean that you can practice and work at a hospital but did you know that you can do much more?

There are certain standards of any profession to be met, and it is important to have some sort of specialization or certification. The ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists) certification is proof that you have all the necessary credentials to fulfill the national standard of being a radiation therapist. Also with the ARRT Certification, you will be eligible to be a legalized practitioner of medical imaging and intervention procedures. However, if you want to appear for the ARRT certification, there are no such "registry-eligible" criteria.

Eligibility

You need to have completed a three-year graduation degree if you want to pursue the Primary Pathway certification in subjects like radiation therapy, magnetic resonance imaging, radiography, nuclear medicine technology, and sonography. However, if you have a graduation course from December 2012, you will get five years to complete the ARRT certification. This is unlike those students who had three years to finish their certification beginning January 2013.

However, before getting this certification, students need to have an academic degree and this rule has been applicable since January 2015. Additionally, the students need to be competent enough during their didactic coursework in the particular field for which they are seeking the ARRT certification.

Post-Primary Pathway

There are a number of options to choose from when it comes to choosing the type of certification you want to opt for. In fact, the ARRT certification perhaps offers some of the most varied choices you would see in any certification course. These include Vascular Sonography, Mammography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Vascular-Interventional (VI), Breast Sonography, and Bone Densitometry; among others. There is also Quality Management (QM), Computed Tomography (CT), and Cardiac-Interventional (CI) Radiography - some of the disciplines in which students pursue their Post-Primary Pathway certification. For this, they need to carry the complete set of documents from the primary pathway registration without that the post-certification cannot be entered. From January 2016, students will also need to carry the complete document of the 16 hours of structured education.

Those who are interested in becoming Registered Radiologist Assistant (R.R.A.), need to register themselves in Radiography from where they can get the RRA certification.

It is very important to remember that students appearing for the ARRT certification need to be "be a person of good moral character and must not have engaged in conduct that is inconsistent with the ARRT Rules of Ethics". ARRT keeps an eye on all the potential violation of the ARRT rules and regulations and if anyone is caught violating the ARRT standard of ethics may be faced with a termination notice. It is mandatory for the Primary pathway candidates to report about the honor code violations, if any, during their school period. A pre-application set for the primary pathway candidates can help to determine their ethics eligibility.

Fee

The course is generally 21 to 24 months long. For the primary certification, it generally costs around $200 and for post-primary certification, it is almost $400 depending on the subject of specialization.

Detailed breakdown of ARRT Application Fee

• Primary: $200
• Postprimary : $200
• Postprimary : $400
• Reinstate certification and registration by re-examination: $200
• Online reinstatement (for those who don’t need to take a re-examination): $75

Annual Renewal

As a Radiologic Technologists, one will have to renew their certification and registration every year. In order to do so, one must be in compliance with their biennial Continuing Education (CE) requirements. Additionally, to renew an R.R.A. (Registered Radiologist Assistant) credential or a credential in a discipline one has earned using the post-primary eligibility pathway, they must also maintain certification and registration in the related supporting discipline. The annual renewal deadline will always be the last day of an applicant’s birth month. The renewal procedure can be completed easily and quickly by using the online procedure.

Examination process

The ARRT examination assesses the knowledge along with the cognitive skills required for the performance of any intelligent skill. This gives the idea of how the candidate would be at the entry-level practice-field. Individual program directors obtain the applications for the primary pathway candidates. Online applications are available for post-primary candidates. It is better to keep in mind that the application should be done three months prior to the expected graduation date.

There is no specific list of study material available for the ARRT exam as it uses various references to set its exam. The student can get the outline of the topic to the content specification.

This easily obtainable a publicly recognizable technologist certification, ARRT certification is indeed one of the best possible courses.

Salary and prospects

For radiologic technologists, the current median wage is around $55,500. The salary ranges from diagnostic labs to the hospitals from $78,500 to $37,500. Higher compensations may be available in the physician's offices. There is an expected rise of about 21% through 2022 in the radiology sector.

Preparing for ARRT Certification Exam

• Familiarize with the exam format: ARRT exams are computer-based. A tutorial at the start of each exam allows an examinee to answer several practice questions, enabling one to familiarize themself with the exam process and question formats.
• Timing is vital to clear AART exam: The ARRT certification exam consists of 220 items to be completed in 3.5 hours. That means an examinee will have just under a minute to answer each question, therefore, it is very important to keep track of time while appearing for the final exam.
• Focus on the outlined study material: The ARRT has outlined a major content category and it is advisable to concentrate on those particular contents to clear the ARRT certification test. The four most heavily represented content areas: Patient Care, Safety, Image Production, and Procedures, therefore, one should focus on the core topics to score the desired result.
• ADA accommodation: If an examinee falls under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) category and need accommodation for their ARRT exam, they must apply for it while submitting their application for registration.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What to bring to the exam centre?
  An examinee must bring two forms of acceptable identification to their exam center. The first must be a valid government-issued photo ID with their signature; it must be valid and must include the examinee’s printed name and signature.
• What are ARRT’s Ethics Requirements?
  ARRT requires its candidate to maintain and demonstrate good moral conduct to be eligible for registration and certification.
• How to maintain your ARRT credential?
  To maintain ARRT credentials, one must meet a variety of ongoing requirements. This includes remaining compliant with ARRT Standards of Ethics and ARRT Rules and Regulations. Additionally, it is mandatory for an applicant to:
  • Complete their annual renewal process.
  • Report and complete continuing education activities every two years.
  • Complete Continuing Qualifications Requirements every 10 years.
• When is one eligible for an online account?
  Soon after an applicant earns their first ARRT credential, they will be invited to create an online account.
• How to set up an online account?
  Visit the official ARRT website and click the LOGIN button in the upper right corner of your computer screen. Select the white REGISTER button, and then follow the prompts on your computer screen.
• How to unlock your online account?
  ARRT online accounts are locked after five unsuccessful login attempts. This security feature reduces the chances of unauthorized access to your account. The online account will unlock automatically after 15 minutes.
• What to do if you forgot the email id used to create the online account?
  Use the "forgot email" feature on the login screen. An applicant will need to enter their ARRT ID, the last four digits of their Social Security number, along with their date of birth.