Radiological Technology Program

Gainesville Campus

The Radiological Technology Program is a two-year, 65 credit hour curriculum leading to the Associate of Applied Science Degree that prepares students to assume the role of a radiological technologist, sometimes called rad techs or x-ray techs. Radiological technologists use x-ray equipment to create images of the internal body to diagnose injury and disease. Their services are performed at the request and under the supervision of a physician.

North Central Texas College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033, (404)679-4500. Graduates of the Radiological Technologist Program qualify for registry exams through NCTC accreditation of SACS. Upon completion of the program, a graduate will be eligible to take the national registry examination administered by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT). If successful on the registry exam, the graduate is eligible to be licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services as a Medical Radiologic Technologist.

The Radiological Technology Program will accept students every fall semester. The clinical training begins during the second half of the first semester and the hours will be set by the clinical institution in which the student is working. This may include days, evenings, nights and/or weekend shifts. The student will attend clinical 16 hours a week for five weeks at the end of the first semester. The clinical experience remains 16 hours a week during the entire spring semester and increases to 24 hours a week during the summer and during the last year (fall and spring) of the curriculum.

Students are encouraged to take all the academic support courses prior to entering the program. The program is rigorous, and completing the support courses enables the student to complete the program successfully while maintaining personal responsibilities such as work and family commitments.

The Radiological Technology student will employ cognitive, psychomotor, and affective skills in acquisition of their degree. They will be expected to perform as radiographic technologists who must lift and move patients as well as push, pull, lift, and carry heavy equipment. Additionally, students will be required to stoop, bend, and stand for long periods of time and will be required to move quickly in emergency situations. Interpersonal skills are an integral part of the profession and require that the student be able to function appropriately in highly stressful situations.

A physical examination and proof of immunization must be submitted prior to beginning the program. Students must be certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the Health Care Provider level as designated by the American Heart Association. A copy of a current CPR card must be submitted to the student’s instructor prior to attending clinical.

Students are required to undergo a criminal background check prior to enrolling in the program and to a drug screen prior to beginning clinical experiences. The criminal background check is conducted once the student has been deemed eligible to enter the program but prior to admission. Therefore, if a student does not pass the criminal background check, the student will not be admitted to the program and will not have incurred the expenses associated with enrollment. The drug screen will be conducted after the student has been accepted to the program. Results of this screen will be reviewed and verification to determine that a student is eligible to attend clinical rotations. The student is responsible for all charges incurred for these screenings and will pay this fee upon registration for the program. Students are responsible for their own transportation arrangements to campus and to their assigned health care facilities for clinical experiences.

Acceptance into the Radiological Technology Program is accomplished by way of a competitive selection process based on a points system composed of:

• grade point average of academic support courses in the curriculum
• number of academic support courses
• completed
• grade in Anatomy and Physiology I

Students with highest priority points will then take a pre-admission exam which will determine their admission to the program.

Students will be admitted to the program during the fall semester of each year.

Admission Requirements to the Radiological Technology Program

Steps:

1. Apply and gain admission to North Central Texas College. Applicant must have earned either a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) certificate in addition to complying with the Texas Success Initiative requirements.
2. Attend a Radiological Technology advisory session. Please contact the Radiology Department for a schedule of these information sessions.
3. Complete the four prerequisite courses. These courses include:
   a. BIOL2401 Anatomy and Physiology I
   b. MATH1314 College Algebra or
   c. ENGL1301 Composition I

It is strongly advised that students complete as many co-requisite courses as possible before applying for admission into the Radiological Technology program.

These courses include:

Admission Points will be awarded as follows:

1. Early completion of all academic support courses enhances progression in the radiology program. The academic support courses can be taken at any time prior to admission into the program but must be completed in the semester in which they are listed in the curriculum. Course work completed with a “C” or better prior to admission will result in:

Admission Points as follows:

It is strongly advised that students complete as many non-radiology courses as possible before beginning the Radiological Technology Program.

1. Admission Points are awarded for performance in the two biology prerequisite courses.
   1. For BIOL2401 Anatomy and Physiology I, admission points are awarded as follows:
2. Complete and submit to the Radiological Technology Program Office at the Gainesville Campus a Declaration of Intent to Enroll form — a formal statement of your intention to enroll in the upcoming fall class scheduled to begin at NCTC. A degree audit and copies of transcripts of all courses must be provided at the time the Declaration of Intent is completed.

It must be completed and submitted between: June 1 — July 1

These declaration forms do NOT “carry over”. If for any reason you are not admitted to the Radiological Technology Program after submitting your first declaration form, you must submit a new form in order to be considered again for admission.

Selection Process

Applicants are selected for acceptance according to the following ranking process: Total admission points are used to rank applicants from highest to lowest.

• When two or more applicants have the same GPA in academic support courses, the highest total of credit hours in academic support courses is used to break the tie.
• When two or more applicants have the same GPA in academic support courses and the same total credit hours of academic support courses, an entrance exam will be administered to break a tie.

All applications who have submitted a Declaration of Intent form will be notified of their enrollment status BY MAIL — no later than July 21 preceding each fall semester. Only a limited number of applicants with the highest Priority Point scores will receive letters stating that they are candidates to take a pre-admission exam. Candidates with the highest pre-admission exam scores will be considered for admission to the Radiological Technology Program. Candidates with the next highest pre-admission exam scores will be listed as alternates. If any of those who have been admitted are not able to begin the program for that particular semester, the next highest scoring alternate will be admitted. (Including alternates who did not get in) anyone wishing to re-apply the following year must go through this admission procedure again in order to be considered for the upcoming semester. (The pre-admission exam may only be taken twice). Those students accepted for admission to the Radiological Technology Program will be registered in the first semester courses.