r/MRI

Can be anywhere on the eastside also , ( Redmond , Bellevue , issaquah ) just around this area . Wondering how the job market is if anyone lives here !

Welcome to r/mri's weekly career/education/basic questions thread. In an attempt to keep this subreddit more focused on being a resource for technologists, radiologists, physicists, researchers etc already in the field, this thread is the place for:

* questions about ARRT vs ARMRIT (US only)

* questions about schools like Pulse Radiology, Gurnick, etc

* simple questions about the job/career experiences/educational process/clinicals (dress code, shifts, etc)

* what it's like being an mri tech

* questions from patients about what to expect about their MRI exam process

Standalone threads posted on these and related topics will be removed and directed here. Questions asking for medical advice will be removed and the user will be banned as usual.

As a new tech really interesting in learning the complexities of MRI I feel like this really misses the point of "a place where techs can communicate with each other". Most of the posts are answering concerned patients anxiety questions. They should be speaking to doctors in the first place. I tried to ask a technical question about poor localizer quality on GEs and the top comment was "why do you need better quality they are locs". Thanks for the help, I worked really hard to get here. I passed my RT, MRI and MRSO exams within 3 months of each other and can't ask for help because it's too basic but let's talk about what music would be best during a scan. 🧐

Looking for anyone that has worked on either of these systems. We are deciding between the two. The Siemens Magnetom Flow 1.5T is the “Helium independent” system with 0.7L helium. The Philips BlueSeal XE 1.5T is pretty similar to what we currently have, but prior to this magnet our facility has a background in Siemens. The Philips sales team claim that Siemens hasn’t quite figured out the low helium technology yet and as a result have issues with image quality and heat dissipation, claiming we would only be able to scan about 10 patients a day with the heating issues. Curious is this is a sales tactic or if there is any truth to this. Anyone have any actual experience?

ETA: ALSO if anyone works on a Siemens in Washington State - have you had any issues with service? Another big accusation from Philips was that their service in the state has really deteriorated.

Got accepted into an MRI program. Just want to know if I'll also be expected to get into the MRI machine at some point for practice.

Hey all. My clinical externship is starting on Monday.

Honestly, I’m pretty darn scared. I knew this was coming and it’s what I signed up for, but I’m worried about making mistakes during externship. My program — as with any I’d imagine — is quite strict, and I feel like the margin for error is extremely low without compromising my whole educational journey and career aspirations.

I’m sorry if this has been asked here before, but does anyone have any advice at all about performing well during clinicals? Any one have any stores to share? Were clinicals a positive or a negative experience? Was it hard financially during that time? Were your trainer and patients understanding at all?

Any and all insight would be so appreciated. Thank you.

Title says it all.

Hello guys! I'm about to start my clinicals next week and only 9 months before finishing my program. I'm in Socal and I already swallowed the pill and accepted that I have to move out of state to get a good paying job, let alone a job!!

So my only concern is, which states/cities can you guys recommend that has a good amount of job available and good pay? I don't mind living in small towns as long as it's atleast big city adjacent so in case I needed something, I can immediately get it.

Thank you so much!

Im a surg tech about to start mri school and i want to hear how call is for you. I know call is hit or miss but as a surg tech at certain facilities it is well known if you are on call- you are going to be working at some point. I hate call and I don’t want to start a new career where it is horrible like what I endure now 😭

I have an MRI today; with and without contrast for my knee. Classical music is some of my favorite music, and it is one I can focus on for the time estimated I’ll be in there. I have ADHD and I’m a musician, so I worry I may move or bop my foot to anything else. I like focusing on every instrument I can hear and it helps time pass for me. I’m a bit nervous, but I’m quite sensitive to loud noises; I’ve literally spent my past week indoors with fireworks I’ve heard going off. I got told I’ll have music, so classical was going to be my go to, but I don’t know if it’ll be too quiet? My second choice would be rock. Has anyone else chosen classical, and if so, how much were you able to hear it? I’ve got a few hours before it, and I’ll likely take a Benadryl before to help me calm and be a little sleepy so I don’t freak out. I’m fine with needles, so I’m not too worried about the contrast, all I need is music and I’m good for anything.

I'm looking to get into MRI but want to make sure I don't get exposed to any radiation on the job before I take it serious. This is probably a dumb question but I couldn't find an answer online.

i 27F am getting a breast MRI later this month. when i was making the appointment, they asked if im claustrophobic and i said yes and they brushed over it lol. anything i can do to calm my anxiety? i am on anti anxiety medication that might help.

i’m also nervous about the contrast dye (afraid of needles). i plan to let the tech know beforehand

also would love to know if anyone in this sub with permanent jewelry has ever had an MRI. i’m just not sure how to remove it without damaging it.

I'm just curious if this is fairly common practice, for example a radiologist claiming there is a tear in the meniscus seen via the patients imaging, but an orthopedic surgeon looking at the same imaging disagrees and says it's nothing.

GE newbie here. How can I bump up localizer quality just a notch without adding too much time? The image quality feels subpar and it really drags out the process when I'm trying to nail smaller anatomy. What settings are you using?

What is the average PRN rate for a new mri tech in West Washington state ?

I’m supposed to have an MRI, but recent x-rays revealed that I have several surgical clips in my neck from neonatal ECMO in 1992. Neither I nor my parents had any idea that they were there. My orthopedic doctor and the MRI staff both said it “should be” and “is probably” fine, but since the MRI is precautionary (PT wants to check for a pinched nerve in my neck but thinks it’s unlikely), I would rather be safe than sorry. Does anyone know how I could determine for sure if the clips are safe, or what metrics the doctor/staff would be using to decide this?

Doctor wants me to do an MRI of abdomen. Radiology place wants to do wide bore MRI. Is this more bearable than regular MRI for someone with claustophobia?

Hello all, I graduated from mr only program in CA and have my arrt MR certification, but I have been having no luck with finding any positions in OC/LA and I know it’s very saturated out here. Has anybody from California have any luck finding a job after composting the program w no X-ray background? Does anybody know where a good area to look would be? Thank you!

Hi guys, just curious what the job market is like in your state or city, I’m interested in anywhere in the US, thank you 🙏🏼

This will be my first MRI since dyeing my hair. My hair was bleached (L’Oreal) and dyed with Strawberry Leopard about 3 months ago, and before that I used L’Oreal box dye (Black Cherry and Midnight Violet I think) around September/October. One of the dye boxes said something like “high-intensity shimmering color,” and now I’m overthinking whether any of the dyes could have had metal salts or ingredients that might cause heating in the MRI.

I know the dye isn’t fresh and it’s been a few months, but since it’s a cervical spine MRI and my head/hair will be close to the area, would my scalp burn or be in pain during the scan?

Any MRI specialists/techs/radiologists have insight on this? Or anyone who has had their hair dyed a while back? My MRI anxiety has definitely lessened overall thanks to this subreddit, so this was just a quick question I had. I’ll obviously consult with the MRI specialist/tech before the scan as well.

Some context, I have a bachelors in biology and a doctorate (chiropractic). I’m looking to switch careers because chiropractic isn’t paying unfortunately.

The current predicament I’m running into is that the associates degrees through my local community college have clinicals during normal work day hours. I understand that these rotations are done at hospitals and therefore they’re several months of unpaid clinicals. My issue is that I can quit my full time job to do clinicals. Does anybody know of any program where the clinical hours can be completed on weekends or weekday evenings?

I’ve looked into the Tesla mri institute and it’s great that the coursework is online until clinicals, and it’s my understanding that they place you in a clinical program close to where you live. I’m wondering if anybody has any experience with this while working a full time job. I’m trying to figure out if it’s actually possible to work 8-5 M-th and make this happen. If I could stop working to do clinicals I would, but unfortunately I’m not in a position to do that. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.