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Radiation Protection Technician

Types of Degrees Radiation Protection Technician Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Radiation Protection Technician can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	31
Associate’s Degree	25
Bachelor’s Degree	18
Master’s Degree	13

What Radiation Protection Technician Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Radiation Protection Technician develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Radiation Protection Technician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Radiation Protection Technician emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Radiation Protection Technician program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Radiation Protection Technician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Radiation Protection Technician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Radiation Protection Technician professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
MEDITECH software	Medical software	—
Scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Radiation Protection Technician graduates include:

• Medical Technologist
• Polysomnographic Technologist
• Patient Partner
• Patient Care Representative (Patient Care Rep)
• Patient Services Coordinator
• Patient Resource Worker
• Patient Relations Representative (PRR)
• Case Manager
• Healthcare Registrar
• Patient Care Coordinator
• Patient Service Specialist
• Patient Service Representative
• Access Representative
• Clinical Liaison
• Admitting Clerk

What Can You Do With a Radiation Protection Technician Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Radiation Protection Technician commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Patient Representatives	4.8%	$47,419	$38,091–$56,747
Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other	12.2%	$153,940	$132,704–$175,175
Ophthalmic Medical Technologists	9.4%	$153,819	$121,211–$186,427
Neurodiagnostic Technologists	14.1%	$81,316	$67,093–$95,538

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Radiation Protection Technician graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Postsecondary certificate	19.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	19.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	16.9%
Bachelor’s degree	15.2%
Master’s degree	13.4%
Some college courses	7.4%
Doctoral degree	3.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	3.0%
Post-doctoral training	2.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Radiation Protection Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 49.4% women and 50.6% men among Radiation Protection Technician graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	43	49.4%
Men	44	50.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Radiation Protection Technician graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	61	70.1%
Asian	3	3.4%
Hispanic or Latino	11	12.6%
Black or African American	5	5.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	2.3%
Two or More Races	2	2.3%
Race Unknown	3	3.4%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Radiation Protection Technician Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Radiation Protection Technician graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$67,845
4 years	$61,295
5 years	$69,015

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $69,015 — roughly 2% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Radiation Protection Technician Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Radiation Protection Technician graduates earn a median of $61,295 four years after completion — roughly 61% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)	29,337
Physician Associate/Assistant	13,046
Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiographer	11,777
Surgical Technology/Technologist	7,626
Diagnostic Medical Sonography/Sonographer and Ultrasound Technician	7,272
Respiratory Care Therapy/Therapist	6,686
Medical Radiologic Technology/Science - Radiation Therapist	4,111
Athletic Training/Trainer	3,132
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions, Other	2,445
Cardiovascular Technology/Technologist	1,540
Environmental Health	1,269

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.