CT Tech Travel Nursing Jobs

CT Tech

Computed tomography (CT) technicians work in a very important diagnostic area of patient care. There’s high demand for healthcare pros to work in this sub-category of careers in radiologic technology, who in the larger sense are often referred to as “rad techs.” As a result of this consistent demand, there are many well-paying CT tech and other CT-related jobs in various locations nationwide. If you’re a CT tech, join us to learn more and explore nationwide job opportunities that could kickstart your exciting new career as a travel CT tech/travel rad tech.

Is CT Tech a Good Career?

With a career as a travel CT tech, it’s easier for you to avoid nurse burnout while still sharing your important skills and talents with facilities nationwide that need your help now more than ever due to the healthcare staffing shortage. With the various locations and facilities you can choose from, working as a travel CT tech will help you stay fresh, motivated, and focused on providing great patient care. Traveling is also a great way to sharpen your skills, gain experience in a variety of places, and build your resume — all while you explore the country and the many travel allied health opportunities available to you!

What does a CT Techs do?

CT techs are a specific type of radiologic technologist (often abbreviated as “rad tech”), who administer CT (computed tomography) scans. These scans are an important way for healthcare professionals to collect internal body images that help with diagnostic examinations and ultimately provide care, including direction for surgical procedures, neurological concerns and conditions, and cancer, as well as diagnosis and treatment of fractures, internal injuries, muscle disorders, tumors, blood clots, liver and lung masses, heart disease, and more. It’s a very important job because the better the imaging, the better the diagnosis, and thus the better the treatment.

In their important role, CT techs first help prepare and position patients for testing. As radiation exposure is involved, it’s crucial for safety that CT techs help patients strike and keep the right positioning during testing. CT techs also operate and care for this very expensive and intricate diagnostic imaging equipment. After testing, CT techs may escort patients out before sharing results with the doctors who ordered testing and sometimes conferring with physicians about the evaluation of imaging results. Finally, they maintain patient testing records and file them to the relevant records system.

How to Succeed as  a CT Tech

To succeed working in RT as a CT, you must be an excellent communicator since CT techs are such an important bridge between patient and physician, which leads the path from question to diagnostic result. As part of this responsibility, CT techs have to be well-versed in a variety of medical terminology relating to various specialties. They must also be problem-solvers and experts in the operation of CT machines, radiation safety, and proper patient positioning.

A CT tech’s ultimate goal is to aid in ensuring that CT scans are performed safely and with the clearest imaging possible, and that results are communicated to the physicians who requested them and then properly filed. This work is essential to making the right diagnoses and treating a variety of medical conditions.

Where Do CT Techs Work?

CT techs and most rad techs overall are most likely to work in an acute hospital setting and are typically found in the radiology unit. They often work closely with the ER, oncology, and other units most commonly in need of this type of imaging. Outside of hospitals, CT techs can also work in clinics, government/military facilities, community-based healthcare centers, and other healthcare facilities.

Who Works in Radiologic Technology?

CT techs support and work alongside a variety of healthcare and administrative professionals in the radiology unit and other units that partner closely and depend on the results of each CT scan. This can include specialists, ER nurses and physicians, oncologists and oncology nurses, surgeons, neurologists, fellow rad techs and other allied health pros, nurses, radiologists, charge/clinical coordinators, nursing assistants, administrative staff, and social workers/case managers.

How is a CT Tech Different from a Radiologic Technologist?

This one’s simple: All CT techs are RTs but not all RTs are CT techs. Radiologic technologists are a group of techs who aid doctors by helping create and share clean diagnostic imaging results so the physicians can then make a proper diagnosis and create a treatment plan for each patient. CT techs are separated by the fact that they operate and test on CT machines doing CT scans. Rad techs also may each be specialized in MRI, X-ray, mammography, sonography, and other such RT areas.

Who’s Treated by CT Techs?

Patients cared for by CT techs and rad techs tend to be in the radiology unit, which is sometimes also called the imaging unit. However, patients with a variety of healthcare issues and concerns are treated by CT techs. Some of the more common reasons for an individual to undergo a CT scan include neurological concerns and conditions, cancer, fractures, internal injuries, muscle disorders, to pinpoint a tumor or blood clot, detect liver and lung masses, to aid with surgical procedures, heart disease, and more. CTs are a fairly common procedure that many people will have during their lives.

Quick CT Tech Facts

• Commonly required CT tech education: Associate Degree in Radiologic Technology (AS) and/or Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Technology (BSRT), plus passing the American Registry of Radiologic Technologist’s Computed Tomography (ARRT-CT) certification exam
• Commonly required CT tech certifications: Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Commonly preferred CT tech certifications: Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), Fluoroscopy (Fluoro)
• Commonly required experience to become a travel CT tech: Facilities typically require a minimum of one year of recent, in-hospital experience in order to hire you as a travel CT tech. To protect yourself and preserve patient care, you’ll want the benefit of this experience!
• Average annual CT tech salary range: $62,300-$110,000

Locations where CT techs are in high demand: Demand for travel CT techs is growing nationwide! Locations like California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maryland reflect high demand with higher average salaries for CT techs.