I'm confused about early stages

[Rain1dog]

in becoming a radiologist tech. I graduated high school with no real understanding of myself which translated into professional life. I have been a lineman(electrician-just really high voltage)and find myself very unhappy in my profession. It's as if I'm just going through the motions, no zeal or zest in my being.

I graduated high school and took the ACT(19), but it was back in 94. I also went to university of Phoenix for mcse cert.

I just need to get my foot in the door, so to speak. I want to start off with the Assc degree program but it seems that I need a invite to be able to start this career path. Is there any cert. programs I can look into so that I can start building XP and maybe earning credits toward an Assc?

Any information from people who have fought through the red tape I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for everyone's time.

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[Lifschitz]

Is your final goal medical school?

Have you looked into local community colleges? Though I'm not very nontrad, I didn't really know what I wanted after high school, took none of the standardized tests, and ended up at a community college. I did well at the pre-reqs, transferred to a university, and am currently wrapping up my first semester of medical school.

 

[Rain1dog]

I am the type of person that if I do not learn on a constant basis, creates boredom which leads to following the motions just to get by.

So yes, I would cherish the opputunity to attend med school, but I'm just looking to start small and not over whelm myself with to much and especially with not to much, nos.

I'm just trying to see what it takes to get into radiology.

 

[Mad Jack]

The community college based rad tech programs around here have drastically different prerequisites before they will consider your application. Some want A&P, others physics or biology. You should contact each program individually to find out what they are looking for.

I would also keep an open mind as to fields to get your A.S. or A.A.S. in, as you might very well decide radiology isn't your thing but end up locked into a career as a rad tech regardless. Nursing and respiratory therapy are great two year programs that can get you broad exposure to many different specialties within the hospital. RT programs are also great preparation if you are looking to do critical care, emergency care, or anesthesia later on, as you'll already have the A and Bs of your ABCs down. If you find you have an interest in surgery, surgical tech programs are one year for a certificate or two years for a degree. OTA and PTA positions can expose you to PM&R, long term care, some neuro, and some orthopedics, depending on where you practice, and are two year degree programs. Finally, an EMT-B or CRNA certificate can take 3-6 months to get depending on the program. The former can give you great exposure to emergency medicine, while the latter can get you into just about any environment. Try shadowing members of any of the professions you are interested in. Most educational programs can arrange this for you or get you some contact information at the very least.

Once you settle on a path, start knocking out your prerequisites (they will be program specific) at the local community college, and call ahead to make sure they will transfer when complete.

Finally, keep an open mind. By putting your destination as "radiologist" from the start, you are really missing out on your chance to appreciate the journey that is premedical and medical education. You might miss out on a great field that you never would have expected you would enjoy.

 

[Rain1dog]

Thank you for your time in relation to your post. I'm in the process now of looking into those other path's. I have truly always enjoyed learning about how substances react with the body.

 

[VolunteerMoose]

i would rather be an electrician than a rad tech. no exposure to radiation. and dont u get paid more as an electrician?

 

[ruedjgtc]

i would rather be an electrician than a rad tech. no exposure to radiation. and dont u get paid more as an electrician?

I think the OP wanted more exposure to the medical field so they could make up their mind about whether or not considering the MD/DO tract was something they wanted to do. But along those lines, I think it would be a good idea for the OP to save up money using their electrician career because applying to medical school is a cash cow.

OP, you should probably try to chat with people in those fields Mad Jack suggested and see those are careers you'd be happy with for X years. There's a lot great ways to get into healthcare without applying to medical school, be sure it's something you really want to do because it's a lot of work to get there.