North Carolina seeks to become 1 of last states to license rad techs

North Carolina is seeking to become one of the last states in America to license radiologic technologists. 

Local lawmakers have now proposed bills in both the Senate and House seeking to address this issue. North Carolina is 1 of only 5 states with no standards or licensing structure for rad techs and radiation therapists, advocates wrote in an op-ed published Wednesday. 

Proponents believe making this change in the Tar Heel state will help rad techs ensure patient safety, demonstrate competency and maintain professional standards. 

“North Carolinians are familiar with selecting their physician and the facility they plan to choose when considering healthcare choices, but how many stop to think about whether the person performing the medical imaging or radiation therapy treatment is qualified?” Wendy Weaver, advocacy chair for the N.C. Society of Radiologic Technologists, and Lauren Boyles, radiography program director for Wilkes Community College, wrote May 7. 

Absent this law change, rad techs believe patients run the risk of undergoing low-quality imaging, leading to potential misdiagnoses, increased errors and unnecessary radiation exposure. NCSRT and others are seeking to drum up support for the two bills, which were first introduced in late March. 

“North Carolinians should have the right to expect highly trained, educationally prepared and clinically competent healthcare professionals when seeking medical attention,” Weaver and Boyles wrote in the Wilkes Journal-Patriot. “N.C. House Bill H590 and Senate Bill S415 are long overdue and will help deliver high quality patient care and safety to anyone undergoing medical imaging or radiation therapy treatment.”

Reps. Donna McDowell White (a registered nurse) and Karl E. Gillespie are the bill’s primary sponsors in the House.  Sens. Timothy D. Moffitt, Dana Jones and Bobby Hanig, meanwhile, have introduced the Patient Safety in Medical Imaging Act in the Senate.