Career Opportunities and Work Life

Skills You'll Need

Salary Ranges

The Classroom Experience

Certificate & Degree Options

Lake Michigan College's Radiologic Technology program prepares students for entry-level radiologic technology positions. You will learn concepts in the classroom and the opportunity to practice those concepts in clinical settings.

New Radiologic Technology students begin their course sequence during the fall semester. Because of the sequence of courses and clinical requirements, students must commit to a full-time schedule of coursework which lasts for 21 consecutive months.

While there is a brief introduction to advanced specialty areas, if you wish to specialize additional training will be required.

According to Kerry Mohney, LMC Radiologic Technology program coordinator and instructor, you may register for general requirement courses before entering the radiological program. Once you are in the program, you must complete coursework in the radiologic technology sequence.

Expectations and Skills Taught
Radiologic Technology program students must be serious about their education. According to Kerry, students are expected to attend class regularly. Attendance policies are in place for classroom work as well as for clinical rotations in the various healthcare facilities with which LMC partners.

Students need to devote adequate time outside of class to study. According to Mohney, for every hour in class, students should plan on an additional two to three hours for assigned reading and homework.

Students will learn x-ray, radiographic physics, anatomy, and positioning. In addition to technical aspects of patient care, bedside manners, and how to work effectively with superiors and co-workers are also skills that are developed. Students can expect to build teamwork skills by working in groups on projects and to develop their communication skills through oral presentations.

General education requirements in areas such as English, Healthful Living, psychology, political science and history provide students with well-rounded curriculum to give them skills to live in a technical and global society.

Technology in the Classroom
A variety of technologies are used in conjunction with traditional lecture and hands-on activities.

Thanks to a partnership between Lakeland Regional Health Systems, South Haven Community Hospital, and LMC, students have classroom access to state-of-the-art Picture Archive Communication System (PACS) technology. This system replaces traditional film storage methods of images with digital storage. Through a secure web connection, PACS can be accessed so students can discuss with instructors real cases they have encountered during their clinical experience.

In addition, PowerPoint presentations, the Internet, and materials available on Blackboard - the College's instructional Intranet - play an important role in the learning process.

Additional Program Costs
In addition to standard tuition, fees and books, students pay for uniforms, shoes, name tags, patches, and lead markers. These additional costs are roughly $400 per year.

Program Accreditation
LMC's Radiologic Technology program is accredited by:
The Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT)
20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 2850
Chicago, IL 60606-3182
(312) 704-5300