Healthcare Practitioners and Technical · Holland code RCI

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologists

Operate Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners. Monitor patient safety and comfort, and view images of area being scanned to ensure quality of pictures. May administer gadolinium contrast dosage intravenously. May interview patient, explain MRI procedures, and position patient on examining table. May enter into the computer data such as patient history, anatomical area to be scanned, orientation specified, and position of entry.

Also called: MRI Coordinator (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Coordinator), MRI QA Coordinator (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Quality Assurance Coordinator), MRI Tech (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technician), MRI Technologist (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist), MRI Radiographer (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Radiographer), MRI Specialist (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Specialist), Research MRI Technologist (Research Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist).

O*NET 29-2035.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $95,480; Middle half earn $81,040 to $106,340. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree; 65% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

Review physicians' orders to confirm prescribed exams.
Conduct screening interviews of patients to identify contraindications, such as ferrous objects, pregnancy, prosthetic heart valves, cardiac pacemakers, or tattoos.
Select appropriate imaging techniques or coils to produce required images.
Operate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.
Provide headphones or earplugs to patients to improve comfort and reduce unpleasant noise.
Place and secure small, portable magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners on body part to be imaged, such as arm, leg, or head.
Position patients on cradle, attaching immobilization devices, if needed, to ensure appropriate placement for imaging.
Take brief medical histories from patients.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Reading Comprehension3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.8 / 5
Monitoring3.8 / 5
Speaking3.6 / 5
Critical Thinking3.4 / 5
Writing3.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

Customer and Personal Service4.2 / 5
English Language4.0 / 5
Physics4.0 / 5
Computers and Electronics3.6 / 5
Medicine and Dentistry3.5 / 5
Public Safety and Security3.5 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic74
Investigative63
Artistic0
Social42
Enterprising5
Conventional65

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

radiographer · DE Röntgentechniker/Röntgentechnikerin · FR technicien en imagerie médicale et radiologie thérapeutique/technicienne en imagerie médicale et radiologie thérapeutique
diagnostic radiographer · DE Medizinisch-technischer Assistent für radiologische Diagnostik/Medizinisch-technische Assistentin für radiologische Diagnostik · FR technicien en imagerie médicale diagnostique/technicienne en imagerie médicale diagnostique

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Occupational therapists (2222)56,000 employed
Podiatrists (2256)16,200 employed
Medical radiographers (2254)44,200 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€61,714
Germany	€59,529
Ireland	€56,877
Austria	€55,374
Netherlands	€53,595
Sweden	€43,567
France	€41,515
Spain	€35,735
Italy	€33,649
Portugal	€26,072
Poland	€14,380

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -0.07. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (29-2035).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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