Pathways ForwardCurricula · Hands-On Healthcare · Tacoma & Pierce County
Imaging & Radiation Therapy: the Tacoma 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 clears the two-child bar, and the sonographer clears the three-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: Tacoma Community College (radiologic sciences).
Seattle–Tacoma median $105,200 · 25th percentile $93,460 · clears the two-child bar
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Sonographer, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy
Separate programs of one to four years. Where: Bellevue College (sonography, nuclear medicine and radiation therapy).
Seattle–Tacoma median $129,960 · 25th percentile $104,210 · clears the three-child bar
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MRI and CT
Most radiologic technologists add these after a few years on the job.
Seattle–Tacoma median $130,460 · 25th percentile $124,290 · clears the three-child bar
02 · BranchesWhere the work leads
Hospital imaging
Round-the-clock X-ray and CT at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital.
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 Running Start
- 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 Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metro area and the state of Washington. bls.gov/oes
- Income bars: MIT Living Wage Calculator, Pierce County. livingwage.mit.edu/counties/53053
- Radiography and radiation therapy programs: JRCERT program finder; sonography: CAAHEP program finder
- Tacoma Community College: tacomacc.edu; Bates Technical College: batestech.edu; Clover Park Technical College: cptc.edu; Pierce College: pierce.ctc.edu
- University of Puget Sound: pugetsound.edu; University of Washington: washington.edu; Bellevue College: bellevuecollege.edu