FAQ's

Q. What can you tell me about the special scholarship available to Radiography students?

A. The Bay Radiology Associates Scholarship Program
The Radiology group serving the greater Panama City area has established a scholarship program to provide a means of financial support for Radiography students.

Upon entering the second year of the program, all full-time Radiography students receive a Bay Radiology Associates Scholarship. Funds from the scholarship go a long way toward covering student tuition expenses for the final year of the program.

This scholarship funding is unique to the Radiography Program, and demonstrates the strong commitment of Bay Radiology Associates to students within the Radiography Program and Gulf Coast State College.

Q. What can you tell me about the job market after I complete the program?

A. Consider that the patient demand for radiological services is 24 hours a day and 365 days per year. The overall population within the United States is aging, with the fastest growing segment of the population being individuals over the age of 50. Individuals spend the greatest amount of their overall health care dollars during the last ten years of our life.

The combination of these factors means that allied health professionals ARE in demand and will CONTINUE to be in demand in the foreseeable future.

Radiography graduates from Gulf Coast State College are sought out by local employers as well as employers outside of our immediate service area.

Q. How long is the Radiography Program?

A. The program consist of 24 months of didactic as well as clinical experience. All professional courses (those with a RTE prefix) have listed course goals, objectives, and competencies which have to be satisfied before the student matriculates. Students who complete the program will be awarded an Associate in Applied Science Degree by Gulf Coast State College and will be eligible to sit for the radiography examination for national certification given by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT).

Q. Where will I be going for Clinical rotations?

A. We offer clinical training in a number of different clinical settings. Gulf Coast Medical Center, Bay Medical Center, and their outpatient facilities, along with Bay Radiology Associates, and Southern Orthopedic Specialist provide local training for our students. Sacred Heart Hospital, in Destin and Jackson Hospital in Marianna, serve as other major Hospitals that are excellent resources, and are convenient for some of the students who are not local.

Q. What is the average starting salary?

A. Earnings: Median annual earnings of Radiologic Technologists and Technicians were $38,970 in 2002. The middle 50 percent earned between $32,370 and $46,510. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $27,190, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $55,430. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of radiologic technologists and technicians in 2002 were as follows:

Medical and diagnostic laboratories	$42,470
General medical and surgical hospitals	$39,580
Offices of physicians	$36,490

http://www.bls.gov/OCO