Radiography Admission Process

Entrance into the Radiologic Technology program is a multi-step competitive process.  Approximately 15 students are accepted into the curriculum only once a year for the fall semester. Students must complete the Allied Health application process by March 1 prior to the fall semester of desired enrollment.  

Students desiring entry into the Radiologic Technology program should have good organizational and study skills along with the ability to commit 30-40 hours a week for 6 semesters in order to be successful. Effective communication and critical thinking are essential skills needed for a student to be successful and complete the program.

The Radiography Program is offered only as a FULL-TIME DAY OPTION.

However please note the clinical times as weekend rotation and evening shifts are required throughout the program.

1. Referral

   A. Complete an application to the college. Applications to the college are NOT an application to the Rad Tech program.

       B. After applying to the college, applicants interested in the program should schedule an appointment with a CVCC counselor to review the admission requirements and be referred to the Program Director.

• Applicants will need to provide copies of their high school transcripts.
• Applicants will need to provide copies of all college transcripts.
• Applicants for referral must have met the prerequisites:
  • (2 years of a lab science such as chemistry, biology or physics and 2 years of mathematics such as algebra I, II, and/or geometry)
  • Completion of BIO 141 within the past 5 years OR be currently enrolled in BIO 141 to be referred. No exceptions will be made. Students must have a C or better in the course to be considered for referral. If currently enrolled, students must finish with a C or better by semester end to be considered for entry.
• Applicants may be required to take college placement tests. Any deficiencies must be remediated before an applicant will be referred to the Program Director
• Applicants for referral must have a minimum cumulative college GPA of 2.9 (cumulative includes all college work attempted and should be no less than 12 hours). If no college has been attempted, then a minimum high school GPA of 3.5 is required for referral. If a student has some college (less than 12 hours, the student may be referred if the HS GPA is 3.0 and the college work that has been completed is a 3.0 GPA or higher. 
• Referrals to the program must be made by the March 1 deadline. No referral will be accepted for consideration after the deadline. 
• Note: The program will treat a grade of P+ as a C (2.0) grade when determining GPA/points for competitive admissions decisions. A P - will not be accepted. 

2. Shadowing

All candidates should shadow in diagnostic radiography at a local hospital for a minimum of 8 hours. Candidates must be able to discuss shadowing experiences at the interview.

3. Applications 

All applicants who have been referred to the Program Director will receive an application for the Radiography Program. Applications must be completed by the deadline indicated on the application letter. Any application received after the deadline regardless of the reason will not be considered. 

4. In person Interviews

The program director will schedule interviews with candidates after return of the application. Candidates who are selected for interviews are those who meet all of the following requirements:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the career field and the duties performed (based on application responses and shadowing)
• Demonstrate a commitment to the career field (based on application responses)
• Provide application answers in a format consistent with college level ability.
• Provide thoughtful answers on the application that demonstrate the ability to relate experience to the questions asked.
• Have started the process of taking the general required courses for the program. At the discretion of the Program Director, a candidate having no college work or those with no general program prerequisites will be granted an interview.
• During the interview, the candidate will have the opportunity to ask questions about the program.

We can only take a selected number of students due to the limit placed on the number of students who can be at each of the clinical facilities. The program currently can only accept 15 student's total. Candidate selection is based on scores given to the following criteria:

• GPA: high school 
• GPA: college (if multiple colleges are attended, GPAs will be combined and averaged to give a single overall GPA)
• Science course grades, Medical Terminology grades and Anatomy & Physiology grades 
• Excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills during the interview/application process 
• Demonstrated knowledge of the profession, job duties, and personal career goals
• Shadowing
• Professional appearance and demeanor
• Timeliness to the interview(s)
• Any related healthcare or customer service experience which demonstrates knowledge of effective communication.
• Depth of answers given at interview/application
• Demonstrated enthusiasm for the field.
• Priority is given to students in the local service area if candidates are tied.
• Professional judgment of the interviewers

Acceptance

After interviews and selection by the committee, all candidates will be notified of their status via email. Candidates who receive acceptance offers will be asked to schedule a drug screen (which must be negative), obtain a VA State Police background check, and attend the scheduled program orientation meeting. Students in the program are held to the same ethical standards as those working in the field. For further information regarding ethics, please visit the ARRT ethics requirements page.

Individuals who have a felony or misdemeanor conviction may not be allowed to take the national certification exam. This decision is made by The American Registry of Radiologic Technologies (ARRT) ethics committee. For questions regarding this issue, call the ARRT at (651) 687-0048 or visit their website at www.arrt.org.

The clinical facilities will require immunizations, TB tests, and flu shots.  Students will be required to sign a statement on immunizations and vaccinations stating that they must comply with the immunization and vaccination policies of clinical providers in order to enter these facilities.

Alternate Candidates

Several qualified candidates with top scores who did not make the final selection cut will receive letters indicating they are alternates. Alternate candidates may be called in the event a student declines their program acceptance. Alternates are given additional points to their score if they choose to reapply the following year. Being selected as an alternate does not guarantee acceptance the following year.

We do not have a waiting list. Any candidate who is interviewed but not selected must reapply the following year (including alternates). These candidates should seek the guidance of the program director for ways to improve their application or interview for the following year. Candidates who re-apply and show improvement are given extra points on their candidate score card which will improve their chances of acceptance the following year but does not guarantee acceptance. 

Candidates who reapply but do not show improvement may not be granted an interview the second time around.  Continued growth and improvement are important indicators of student commitment and success. 

Candidates from outside our service areas may apply, but preference is given to candidates in our service areas if the candidate scores are tied.