What Is a Radiology Practitioner Assistant and How to Become One

The responsibilities of a radiology practitioner assistant, or RPA, involve providing support to a radiologist. In this career, your duties could include performing diagnostic imaging or assisting the licensed radiologist or physician with medical procedures such as biopsies. You interact with a patient before their procedure to gain the necessary information to communicate with the doctor or radiologist. You also follow up to offer post-procedure instructions. As an RPA, you can work in a variety of healthcare settings, including a specialized radiology practice or a hospital.

The qualifications that you need to become a radiology practitioner assistant are specialized and extensive. Employers require you to have professional certification and a license to work in the state in which you are seeking employment. To become registered in radiography, you can get certified through the Certification Board for Radiology Practitioner Assistants (CBRPA). To qualify for these exams, you must complete a CBRPA recognized educational program from a university as well as a clinical preceptorship learning specialized skills under a supervising physician. You also need five years of experience as a registered technologist and to possess current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification.

A radiology practitioner assistant and radiologist assistant may have some job duties in common. Both with assist a radiologist and interact with patients before and after procedures. The main difference is in education and certification-level. A radiology practitioner assistant (RPA) has more credibility than a radiology assistant and is qualified to provide more patient services at a higher level of clinical assistance to the radiologist. A radiologist may give an RPA more opportunities to operate independently without direct supervision. However, regulations for physician or radiologist oversight vary, so in some states, RAs and RPAs may perform similar tasks.