What to Expect in Your MRI Tech Program

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If you’re a Radiologic Technician ready to pursue advanced certification, an MRI technology program can provide you with the knowledge and skills to successfully work with medical resonance imaging (MRI) machines. In addition to teaching you about the technology and how to work with patients undergoing MRIs, your program should also prepare you to sit for the industry certification exam that you must pass before you can work in the field.

Structure of an MRI Tech Program

An MRI tech program can be offered face-to-face, in a blended learning format that incorporates online classes, or it can be completed online with onsite clinical placements. If you choose an online program, you follow videos that cover topics like anatomy and physiology, MRI physics, and patient safety. You then practice those skills through a clinical practicum. You also prepare to sit and pass the American Registry Radiology Technician (MR) Certification Exam, which is required to qualify for MRI tech jobs.

Coursework in an MRI Tech Program

An MRI technology program blends science, patient care, and hands-on technical training. While coursework may vary by school, most programs cover the core areas:

Foundational Sciences

Anatomy & Physiology: Body systems, organs, and structures
Pathology: Common diseases and conditions that may appear in MRI images
Physics for MRI: Magnetism, radiofrequency, gradients, and signal processing work

MRI Technology & Instrumentation

MRI Equipment Operation: Magnet types, coils, consoles, image acquisition, and workflow
Imaging Parameters & Pulse Sequences: T1, T2, FLAIR, diffusion, gradients, and how to adjust protocols
Safety & Quality Control: Procedures, magnetic-field risks, patient screening, and image quality

Patient Care in MRI Imaging

Patient scan preparation
Patient positioning and coil selection
Management of anxiety, pain, or movement limitations

Various Clinical Procedures Including:

Brain and spine imaging
Musculoskeletal imaging
Abdomen, pelvis, and vascular MRI
Contrast studies and advanced protocols such as MRA/MRV

Digital Imaging and Evaluation

Digital imaging management
Imaging distortions and how to correct them
Normal vs. abnormal appearances

Clinical Training in an MRI Tech Program

The curriculum of an MRI tech program takes you beyond the classroom and into a real-world setting for training. Toward the end of your program, you complete a practicum that places you in a local medical facility like a hospital or imaging center, where you practice the skills you have learned under the supervision and guidance of an experienced MRI technologist. You have the chance to position patients, operate the MRI equipment, capture images, and check them for quality. In addition, you hone skills like patient care, communication, organization, and time management.

Are you ready to become an MRI technologist? Charter College offers an Advanced Certificate in Magnetic Resonance Imaging that can prepare you for an entry-level job as an MRI tech. The program can be completed in as few as 40 weeks through an online format. If you’re not already a Rad Tech, we also have an Associate Degree program in Radiologic Technology that you can complete in a blended learning format in less than two years. Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to learn more.

888.200.9942