Bethany was a bright student fascinated by medical procedures like x-rays and magnetic resonance imaging. After high school she enrolled in a radiology program with the eventual goal of being certified for MRI technologist jobs. Yet despite her scholastic aptitude and the ease by which she completed her education, Bethany still struggled during the first few months of her working career.

At the center of Bethany's difficulties was an inability to properly communicate with doctors and other healthcare team members. Unfortunately for her, good communication skills are essential for the MRI technologist. When doctors order MRIs a patient's treatment is typically riding on the results. If the technologist cannot properly communicate those results to a doctor, patient care may suffer.

On a positive note, Bethany managed to recognize where her difficulties were, and she got the help she needed to solve the problem. She has since learned effective communication skills that help her do the job that she needs to be doing. And because she persevered, her patients are getting the quality of care they deserve.

The Need for MRI Technologists

MRI technologist jobs were birthed in the 1970s by an exciting new technology that utilizes radio waves and magnetic fields to "take an electronic picture" of internal organs and structures. Due to the nature of magnetic resonance imaging it wasn't enough for x-ray technicians to receive some cursory training before operating MRI machines. The specialized training needed to do so correctly resulted in a whole new healthcare job classification.

The key to the MRI is its ability to clearly show different soft tissues clearly and cleanly. This is easily seen in an MRI brain scan which ultimately gives doctors a 3-D image detailed enough to pick up even small abnormalities. With an x-ray such images just wouldn't be possible.

Educational Requirements

MRI technologist jobs require quite a bit of extensive education. Interested candidates start by earning an associate degree in radiological science. Some employers allow technologist to begin work with just this degree; others require an extra year and a bachelor's degree.

As for specialist MRI technologist jobs, they require additional certification. Depending on the specialty chosen, being certified could be as simple as passing the appropriate exam. But for some specialties the technologist might have to take some continuing education courses prior to attempting to pass the certification exam.

Job Outlook

MRI technologist jobs start around $35,000 per year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and statistics, the average MRI technologist salary around the country is in the $45,000-$50,000 range; there is great variation depending on where technologists live. Still, that's not a bad income in this day and age.

In terms of job availability the BLS estimates growth of about 17% through the year 2018. That's not as good as some other jobs within the healthcare industry, but still far better than most sectors of the American economy. Furthermore, with the healthcare changes coming in 2014 the number of MRI technologist jobs is expected to increase dramatically.