Top 12 Radiology Technologist Skills to Put on Your Resume
Radiology moves quickly. The right skills sharpen your resume and your daily work. This guide spotlights 12 core skills radiology technologists should showcase to signal expertise, speed up workflows, and help patients get answers sooner.
Radiology Technologist Skills
- PACS
- MRI
- CT Scanning
- Digital Radiography
- Fluoroscopy
- Ultrasound
- Mammography
- X-ray
- Radiation Safety
- Picture Archiving
- Communication Systems
- Quality Control
1. PACS
PACS, or Picture Archiving and Communication System, is the digital backbone for storing, retrieving, distributing, and viewing medical images across the enterprise. Faster access, fewer delays, cleaner handoffs.
Why It's Important
PACS keeps imaging flowing. It enables quick storage and retrieval, supports collaboration, and speeds diagnosis—directly improving patient care.
How to Improve PACS Skills
Enhance PACS performance and your day-to-day use with a blend of training, process tweaks, and vigilant upkeep:
Training and Education: Stay current on features, search tools, hanging protocols, and workflow tips through ongoing education from organizations like RSNA and ASRT.
Workflow Optimization: Customize hanging protocols, automate worklists, and standardize naming conventions to reduce clicks and repeats. Align with radiologist preferences.
Hardware and Software Updates: Keep servers, viewers, and networks patched and fast. Low latency means happier clinicians and fewer bottlenecks.
Quality Control and Maintenance: Monitor system performance, storage health, and error logs. Schedule preventive maintenance. Small glitches compound quickly.
Feedback Loops: Collect input from technologists and radiologists, then iterate. Triage issues, share fixes, and document tips that save time.
Data Security and Compliance: Apply strong access controls, audit trails, and encryption in line with HIPAA and local regulations. Patient trust depends on it.
Dial in these areas and PACS becomes invisible—the way good infrastructure should be.
How to Display PACS Skills on Your Resume
2. MRI
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) uses magnetic fields and radiofrequency pulses to create high-contrast images of soft tissues, nerves, and organs—without ionizing radiation.
Why It's Important
MRI reveals detail other modalities miss, crucial for accurate diagnoses and precise treatment planning.
How to Improve MRI Skills
Sharper images, smoother scans, fewer repeats:
Optimize Parameters: Tune TR, TE, flip angle, bandwidth, and matrix based on anatomy and clinical question. Adjust for SAR limits and patient comfort.
Positioning and Coils: Center the region of interest, select the best coil, and use padding to limit motion. Small adjustments pay off.
Advanced Sequences: Apply DWI, FLAIR, fat suppression, Dixon, and metal artifact reduction when indicated for cleaner characterization.
Parallel Imaging: Use SENSE, GRAPPA, or compressed sensing to cut time while protecting spatial resolution.
Motion Management: Coach breathing, use navigator echoes, PROPELLER/BLADE, or motion correction when stillness is tough.
Artifact Reduction: Tackle susceptibility, wrap, Gibbs, and chemical shift with shimming, FOV tweaks, filters, and vendor tools.
Equipment Care: Routine calibrations, QA phantoms, and consistent checks keep magnet performance steady.
Continuing Education: Engage with ISMRM, SMRT, and ASRT content to keep methods fresh.
Do the basics brilliantly; layer on advanced tools when the case demands it.
How to Display MRI Skills on Your Resume
3. CT Scanning
CT (computed tomography) uses X-rays and computer processing to generate cross-sectional images. It exposes anatomy in slices—fast and detailed.
Why It's Important
CT supports rapid diagnosis, triage, procedural planning, and follow-up across trauma, oncology, vascular disease, and more.
How to Improve CT Scanning Skills
Better images, safer doses, calmer patients:
Tailor Protocols: Adjust kVp, mA, pitch, rotation time, and slice thickness to the indication and patient habitus. Follow ACR and department standards.
Reconstruction Techniques: Use iterative reconstruction and deep-learning recon to reduce noise and dose while keeping sharpness.
Precise Positioning: Center carefully, align gantry when needed, and immobilize to avoid repeats.
Contrast Mastery: Match contrast type, volume, and timing to the study (arterial, portal venous, delayed). Screen for risks and premedicate when appropriate.
Radiation Safety: Apply dose modulation, automatic exposure control, and organ shielding when indicated. Track CTDIvol and DLP.
Ongoing Education: Maintain ARRT credentials and learn new vendor features and dose-saving strategies.
Patient Communication: Explain the plan, coach breath-holds, and reduce anxiety to cut motion artifacts.
The strongest CT technologists blend speed with restraint—fast when it matters, careful always.
How to Display CT Scanning Skills on Your Resume
4. Digital Radiography
Digital Radiography (DR) replaces film with digital detectors, delivering near‑instant images and streamlined workflows.
Why It's Important
DR shortens exam times, improves image quality, and simplifies storage and sharing—boosting throughput and diagnostic confidence.
How to Improve Digital Radiography Skills
Clean technique meets smart settings:
Exposure Optimization: Adjust kVp/mAs to anatomy and patient size. Watch exposure index and deviation index to avoid dose creep.
Equipment Maintenance: Calibrate detectors, perform regular QC tests, and verify uniformity to prevent artifacts.
Continuing Education: Learn new DR features, processing algorithms, and positioning refinements through ASRT and vendor education.
Retake Analysis: Track repeats and reasons; fix root causes (positioning, collimation, motion, exposure).
Patient Positioning: Refine landmarks and projections. Use wedges, sponges, and supports to minimize motion and rotation. ASRT offers robust positioning resources.
Grid Usage: Apply grids appropriately for thicker anatomy to curb scatter; avoid when unnecessary to keep dose down.
Image Processing: Fine-tune LUTs, edge enhancement, and dynamic range tools in line with your department’s standards.
Collaboration: Seek radiologist feedback on contrast, detail, and diagnostic adequacy—then iterate.
Less scatter, fewer repeats, more diagnostic punch.
How to Display Digital Radiography Skills on Your Resume
5. Fluoroscopy
Fluoroscopy provides real‑time X‑ray imaging, guiding interventions and visualizing motion—contrast flowing, devices advancing, anatomy moving.
Why It's Important
It enables precise device placement, procedural safety, and dynamic assessment, improving outcomes in everything from GI studies to vascular work.
How to Improve Fluoroscopy Skills
Sharper images with safer doses:
Image Quality:
- Use Automatic Brightness Control thoughtfully; adjust for patient size and region.
- Collimate tightly and position accurately to boost contrast and reduce scatter.
Dose Management:
- Apply ALARA—short pulses, last-image hold, low frame rates, and proper distance and shielding.
- Monitor cumulative dose; use dose reports and alerts during long cases.
Equipment and Workflow:
- Schedule routine calibration and QC for steady performance.
- Adopt digital fluoroscopy features (grid-controlled pulsing, noise reduction) to trim dose without sacrificing detail.
Real-time doesn’t mean reckless—dose awareness and precision rule the room.
How to Display Fluoroscopy Skills on Your Resume
6. Ultrasound
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to image soft tissues and blood flow in real time—no ionizing radiation, immediate feedback.
Why It's Important
It’s dynamic, safe, and versatile, guiding procedures and revealing pathology at the bedside or in the lab.
How to Improve Ultrasound Skills
Good scanning is equal parts physics and finesse:
Image Optimization: Adjust depth, focus, gain, TGC, and dynamic range continually. Match transducer frequency to target depth.
Stay Current: Track updates in beamforming, elastography, Doppler tools, and automated measurements through RSNA, AIUM, and SDMS resources.
Continuing Education: Pursue workshops, case reviews, and protocol refreshers to expand technique and confidence.
Positioning and Ergonomics: Reposition patient and probe for the best acoustic window; protect your posture and joints to sustain quality over time.
Equipment Care: Regularly inspect cables and transducers; maintain probe hygiene and perform system QC.
Contrast Use (where approved): Consider contrast-enhanced ultrasound for specific indications following institutional and professional guidelines.
Peer Feedback: Review challenging studies with colleagues and radiologists; learn from misses and near-misses.
When image optimization becomes instinct, your studies read themselves.
How to Display Ultrasound Skills on Your Resume
7. Mammography
Mammography uses low-dose X-rays to image breast tissue for screening and diagnosis. Positioning is exacting. Compression matters. Clarity saves lives.
Why It's Important
Early detection changes outcomes. High-quality mammograms find subtle lesions before they surface clinically.
How to Improve Mammography Skills
Consistency with compassion:
Continuous Education: Maintain credentials and train on tomosynthesis, synthetic views, and positioning refinements through ARRT, ACR, and RSNA resources.
Patient Communication: Explain steps, set expectations, and adjust technique for comfort without compromising quality.
Image Quality: Master craniocaudal and mediolateral oblique positioning; check pectoralis muscle coverage, IMF inclusion, and nipple in profile.
Regulatory Compliance: Follow MQSA and ACR quality standards, daily QC, and documented corrective actions.
Feedback and Audits: Review callback reasons and outcomes to refine technique and protocols.
Gentle hands, precise alignment, unwavering quality checks.
How to Display Mammography Skills on Your Resume
8. X-ray
X-ray imaging uses ionizing radiation to reveal internal structures quickly—fundamental, ubiquitous, essential.
Why It's Important
It’s the first-line study for fractures, chest evaluation, line placement, and more, guiding rapid decisions across care settings.
How to Improve X-ray Skills
Precision beats repetition:
Positioning: Align with anatomical landmarks, use supports, and confirm rotation. A single well-executed view beats two mediocre ones.
Exposure: Match technique to body part and habitus; watch exposure indicators to manage dose and noise.
Processing: Apply appropriate processing algorithms for skeletal, chest, and soft-tissue studies to enhance contrast without artifacts.
Equipment Care: Perform routine checks on tubes, detectors, and grids. Catch issues before they appear in the image.
Education: Review cases, refresh protocols with ACR and RSNA resources, and learn from radiologist feedback.
Quality Assurance: Participate in QA programs to monitor repeat rates, reject analysis, and image quality trends.
Do it right the first time; the patient feels the difference.
How to Display X-ray Skills on Your Resume
9. Radiation Safety
Radiation safety is the set of practices that keep exposures as low as reasonably achievable while preserving diagnostic quality.
Why It's Important
It protects patients, staff, and the public from unnecessary exposure and underpins safe, ethical imaging.
How to Improve Radiation Safety Skills
Make safety automatic, not afterthought:
ALARA Always: Optimize technique factors, shield when appropriate, and avoid repeats with careful setup.
Protective Gear: Wear lead aprons, thyroid shields, and lead glasses during fluoroscopy and interventional work; use barriers and maximize distance.
Equipment Performance: Ensure periodic testing, calibration, and preventive maintenance in line with FDA, ACR, and state requirements.
Education and Drills: Refresh training on dose concepts (CTDIvol, DLP, dose area product), pregnancy screening, and incident response.
Monitoring: Use personal dosimeters correctly; track and review reports. Adjust habits based on trends.
Safety culture isn’t paperwork—it’s practice, every patient, every scan.
How to Display Radiation Safety Skills on Your Resume
10. Picture Archiving
Picture archiving is the secure storage, retrieval, and lifecycle management of digital images—often through PACS and vendor-neutral archives—built on DICOM standards.
Why It's Important
Reliable archiving ensures images are available when needed, preserved correctly, and accessible across systems for continuity of care.
How to Improve Picture Archiving Skills
Make images findable, durable, and secure:
Standardization: Enforce DICOM conformance, consistent body-part and laterality labeling, and standardized study descriptions.
PACS Proficiency: Learn advanced search, prefetch, routing rules, and lifecycle policies (online, nearline, deep archive).
Data Integrity: Implement robust backups, replication, and regular restore testing. Verify checksums and monitor storage health.
Access Control: Apply role-based permissions, audit logs, and strong authentication to protect PHI.
Regular Audits: Review failed routes, orphan studies, and mismatches; fix upstream data quality at the source (RIS/EMR).
If you can’t find it fast, it may as well not exist.
How to Display Picture Archiving Skills on Your Resume
11. Communication Systems
Communication systems encompass tools and standards that move orders, images, and reports—PACS, RIS, EMR integration, HL7, and increasingly FHIR-based workflows.
Why It's Important
Fast, accurate communication prevents delays, reduces errors, and keeps teams aligned around the patient’s story.
How to Improve Communication Systems Skills
Clarity and speed with safety:
Structured Reporting: Encourage consistent templates to improve clarity, searchability, and follow-up tracking.
PACS–RIS Integration: Work with IT to ensure seamless scheduling, modality worklists, and results reporting. Fewer manual steps, fewer mistakes.
Secure Messaging: Use HIPAA-compliant messaging for critical results and coordination. TigerConnect is a common example in healthcare.
Education and Etiquette: Train on concise, closed-loop communication and escalation paths for urgent findings.
Feedback Mechanisms: Build channels for clinicians to flag communication gaps; refine workflows based on real-world use.
Right message, right person, right time—every time.
How to Display Communication Systems Skills on Your Resume
12. Quality Control
Quality Control (QC) is the routine testing, calibration, and review that keep images diagnostic and doses appropriate. It’s the safety net beneath every study.
Why It's Important
QC preserves image integrity, minimizes repeat exams, and ensures equipment reliability—directly impacting diagnostic accuracy and patient safety.
How to Improve Quality Control Skills
Make QC predictable and visible:
Protocol Adherence: Align with ACR guidelines and institutional policies; keep protocols updated and versioned.
Continuing Education: Maintain ARRT and ASRT education focused on modality-specific QC and emerging tech.
Preventive Maintenance: Schedule calibrations and vendor service per manufacturer specs and The Joint Commission expectations.
Peer Review: Participate in programs like RADPEER and departmental image quality rounds to spot trends and tighten practice.
Positioning Mastery: Use trusted positioning guides and atlases; small tweaks prevent big artifacts.
QC Testing: Perform and document daily, weekly, and monthly tests (phantoms, uniformity, artifacts, exposure indicators), with swift corrective action.
QC isn’t a checkbox—it’s the quiet engine of reliable imaging.
How to Display Quality Control Skills on Your Resume
