Pathways Forward

Curricula · Hands-On Healthcare · The Idaho Panhandle

Imaging & Radiation Therapy: the Idaho Path

Imaging technologists take the X-rays, ultrasounds, MRI and nuclear scans that doctors read, and radiation therapists deliver cancer treatment. The entry rung, radiography, is a two-year degree at North Idaho College. The better-paid specialties clear the two-child bar, and nuclear medicine nearly meets the three-child bar. Several of those specialties have to be trained for outside the panhandle.

Ed. 2026–27Builds on the Idaho Hands-On Healthcare core pathChecked 2026-09-26

Why this field is on the list · as of September 2026

$104,630Median nuclear medicine technologist pay, state of Idaho, May 2025
$80,080Median radiologic technologist pay, state of Idaho, May 2025
$88,747Idaho living wage, one earner, two children

The specialties pass the two-child test. At Idaho medians, the MRI technologist ($101,680), sonographer ($99,920) and radiation therapist ($99,660) all clear the two-child bar ($88,747) and Boundary County’s three-child bar ($98,181). The nuclear medicine technologist ($104,630) meets the statewide three-child bar ($104,611) almost to the dollar.

The radiographer is a stepping stone. At $80,080 statewide and $79,240 in Coeur d’Alene, the X-ray technologist falls just short of even the one-child bar ($82,297). It is a solid job two years out of high school, and it is the usual first step into MRI and CT.

AI exposure is mixed, and it falls mostly on the radiologist. AI is getting good at reading images, and that is the doctor’s job. Taking the image is still hands-on: positioning an injured patient, moving the ultrasound probe until the heart valve shows, keeping a frightened child still in the MRI, and checking the dose before radiation treatment. Sonography depends most on the technologist’s hand and eye.

Watch for: NIC admits only about ten radiography students a year. Plan a strong application, and keep a second path in mind.

01 · The ladderFrom X-ray to the specialties

Most imaging careers start with radiography and add a specialty. Sonography and radiation therapy can also be entered directly through their own programs.

  1. Hospital work at 16 to 18

    Transport aide, CNA (see nursing) or front-desk work in an imaging center. Imaging programs value time spent around patients.

  2. Radiography (X-ray)

    North Idaho College’s Radiography Technology associate degree is accredited by JRCERT and admits about ten students a year. Graduates sit for certification by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), which employers require.

    Idaho median $80,080 · 25th percentile $64,460 · Coeur d’Alene $79,240 · stepping stone

  3. CT and MRI

    Radiographers usually add CT or MRI through on-the-job training and ARRT advanced exams. Ask employers which they will train.

    MRI median $101,680 · 25th percentile $92,510 · clears the two-child bar

  4. Sonography and echocardiography

    Spokane Community College offers Diagnostic Medical Sonography and Echocardiography. Echocardiography students finish with a six-month full-time internship, which may be outside Spokane. Graduates earn ARDMS or CCI credentials.

    Sonographer median $99,920 · 25th percentile $82,950

  5. Nuclear medicine and radiation therapy

    Neither program is offered in Idaho. Bellevue College (Washington) runs accredited programs in both, with distance learning and clinical placements. The nuclear medicine program lists Spokane among its clinical areas. Confirm clinical sites before enrolling, because radiation therapy placements may be far from home.

    Nuclear medicine median $104,630 · radiation therapist $99,660

02 · BranchesWhere the work leads

Hospitals

Kootenai Health, with its Level II trauma center, has the most imaging jobs in the panhandle. Bonner General and Boundary Community Hospital are critical-access hospitals, where one technologist may do X-ray and CT on the same shift. Spokane is within commuting distance.

Schedule: Hospitals image around the clock, so expect some nights, weekends and call.

Outpatient imaging centers and clinics

Freestanding MRI, CT and ultrasound centers and orthopedic clinics run mostly daytime weekday schedules.

Schedule: Regular hours, well suited to a family.

Cancer centers

Radiation therapists work in cancer centers, delivering daily treatments over several weeks and getting to know their patients well.

Schedule: Weekday hours; treatment is scheduled, not emergency work.

03 · For the familyThe schedule, for a father and for a mother

04 · The home-school yearsWhat to add to the core path

Grades 9–10

  • Everything in the shared core, with extra weight on anatomy and on physics
  • Algebra and geometry on schedule; imaging is applied physics
  • Photography, which teaches exposure and composition

Grades 11–12

  • NIC dual credit in anatomy & physiology, medical terminology, math and English, paid largely through Advanced Opportunities
  • Shadow in a hospital imaging department and an ultrasound clinic
  • A CNA course or a hospital transport job

After high school

  • Apply to NIC radiography, or to SCC sonography
  • Add CT, MRI or another specialty after a year or two on the job

Tie to the Verification Track

A technologist checks the image before the patient leaves. Is this the right side? Is the patient the one on the order? Is the scan clear enough to read, or will a blurred image lead to a wrong call? The Verification Track trains that same habit of checking the evidence before it is trusted.

05 · SourcesWhere these facts come from

Checked 2026-09-26