RALEIGH, N.C. – Sen. Stan Bingham and Sen. Wesley Meredith have introduced a bill in the North Carolina legislature that will require individuals to secure a license before performing medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures.
Senate Bill 390 will require all personnel who perform medical imaging or radiation therapy procedures to complete a series of educational requirements and pass a certification examination. The bill is currently awaiting a hearing in the Senate Committee on Health Care.
North Carolina is one of only five states in the nation with no licensure or regulatory laws for radiologic technologists. Currently, individuals in the state can perform radiologic procedures without taking a single course in medical radiation safety, patient positioning or basic radiologic science physics.
“This is an important patient safety measure for the citizens of North Carolina,” said Brenda Greenberg, R.T.(R)(CT), chairman of the North Carolina Society of Radiologic Technologists. “Medical radiation can be dangerous when administered incorrectly, so it’s crucial that we make sure that every medical imaging and radiation therapy professional is educated, competent and understands the importance of making sure patients receive the lowest dose of medical radiation possible.”
Licensing standards will apply to the following radiologic technology practice areas:
- Radiography
- Radiation therapy
- Nuclear medicine
- Cardiovascular-invasive
- Magnetic resonance imaging
- Limited scope radiography
If enacted, the state will create the North Carolina Radiologic Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board of Examiners. The board will oversee licensing standards for personnel who perform medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures. It will include six licensed medical imaging professionals, one licensed radiologist, one licensed medical physicist, one licensed physician, one full-time radiologic science educator and one public member.
For more information about radiologic technologists in North Carolina, visit www.ncsrt.org.
About the North Carolina Society of Radiologic Technologists
Established in 1945, the North Carolina Society of Radiologic Technologists represents more than 11,000 medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals. Its mission is to be the unified voice that represents the interests of certified technologists in the radiation and imaging sciences throughout the state.