Pathways ForwardCurricula · Hands-On Healthcare · Butte & Silver Bow County
Imaging & Radiation Therapy: the Butte Path
Imaging technologists take the X-rays, ultrasounds, MRIs and nuclear scans that doctors read, and radiation therapists deliver cancer treatment. Most of these jobs start with a two-year degree.
Why this field is on the list · as of September 2026
A two-year degree can carry a family. The radiologic technologist short of the one-child bar, and the sonographer clears the two-child bar.
Adding a modality raises pay. MRI, CT, nuclear medicine and sonography each add a credential and a raise.
AI exposure is mixed. AI helps read scans, which falls mostly on the radiologist. Positioning a patient in pain and running the machine safely stays with the technologist.
Watch for: imaging programs are selective and small. Apply to more than one.
01 · The ladderFrom radiography to specialty imaging
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Radiologic technologist
A two-year associate degree, then the ARRT exam.
Where: the JRCERT program finder (Montana programs are few; confirm current openings).
Montana median $77,070 · 25th percentile $65,850 · short of the one-child bar
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Sonographer, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy
Separate programs of one to four years. Where: the CAAHEP program finder (sonography) and the JRCERT program finder (nuclear medicine and radiation therapy).
Montana median $101,000 · 25th percentile $84,800 · clears the two-child bar
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MRI and CT
Most radiologic technologists add these after a few years on the job.
Montana median $86,950 · 25th percentile $79,700 · clears only the one-child bar
02 · BranchesWhere the work leads
Hospital imaging
Round-the-clock X-ray and CT at St. James Healthcare in Butte.
Schedule: Shift work; per-diem common.
Outpatient centers
Scheduled scans and ultrasounds.
Schedule: Mostly daytime.
Cancer treatment
Radiation therapists work in cancer centers.
Schedule: Weekday treatment schedule.
03 · For the familyThe schedule, for a father and for a mother
- For the one who carries the income. A technologist with one or two modalities carries a family here in most cases.
- For a mother at home. Per-diem and part-time imaging shifts are common, and sonography suits part-time work well.
- Keep the license current. Keep ARRT certification and continuing education current through the years at home.
04 · The home-school yearsWhat to add to the core path
Grades 9–10
- Everything in the shared core, with physics and algebra
- Anatomy early
Grades 11–12
- Anatomy, physics and math through One-Two-Free dual enrollment
- Hospital volunteer hours
After high school
- An imaging program, then added modalities
Tie to the Verification Track
A technologist checks the patient’s name, the order and the body part before every scan, and repeats a scan that will not answer the doctor’s question. The Verification Track trains that habit.
05 · SourcesWhere these facts come from
Checked 2026-09-26
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, the state of Montana (BLS publishes no Butte metro area). bls.gov/oes
- Income bars: MIT Living Wage Calculator, Silver Bow County. livingwage.mit.edu/counties/30093
- Radiography and radiation therapy programs: JRCERT program finder; sonography: CAAHEP program finder
- Montana Tech and Highlands College: mtech.edu; Montana State University nursing: montana.edu/nursing; Great Falls College MSU: gfcmsu.edu
- University of Montana (Skaggs School of Pharmacy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology): umt.edu; Rocky Mountain College: rocky.edu; Rocky Vista University: rvu.edu; WICHE: wiche.edu
- Montana licensing boards (nursing, medical examiners, pharmacy, alternative health care): boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov