Arkansas Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide

Arkansas Radiology License Overview

Arkansas licenses radiology as more than a single credential. Alongside the general radiologic technologist license, it also recognizes:

• Base licenses: Radiation Therapist (Radiation Therapy Technologist License, RRT); Nuclear Medicine Technologist (Nuclear Medicine Technologist License, NML)
• Limited-permit tier: Limited-Scope X-ray Operator (Limited Licensed Technologist, LLT); Limited Specialty License - Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging (RCIS)

A few other modalities are not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Arkansas license. The specialty section below covers each.

A license you hold in another state does not transfer automatically, so you apply to Arkansas's licensing board before your first assignment there.

Arkansas Radiology License Requirements

The baseline below is the general Arkansas radiologic technologist license. The specialty section covers the modalities that differ from it.

• National certification: confirm with the board which ARRT credential Arkansas accepts, and whether it must stay current.
• Credential required: Graduation from an accredited radiologic technology program and passing the ARRT Radiography national registry examination.
• Scope of the base license: Authorized to perform all types of diagnostic radiography, including computed tomography, mammography, special procedures, and bone densitometry.
• Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.

Arkansas Radiology License Fees and Credentials

Arkansas issues more than one radiology credential, so fees vary by what you actually do. The table below is one row per state-recognized credential.

There is no state fee line for MRI Technologist, Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound, and Medical Physicist, because Arkansas does not license those modalities.

$45 for one category; $65 for more than one (AR DoH fee schedule).

Arkansas Radiology License Renewal and CE

• Renewal cycle: every year, based on date of initial issuance.
• Continuing education: Arkansas requires 6 hours per year for the general license (from our records; confirm with the board).

How to Get an Arkansas Radiology License

In outline, applying takes four steps:

1. Confirm the credential Arkansas requires for the work you will do (the requirements above and the specialty section below).
2. Complete a board-approved program if the state requires one for your credential.
3. Apply to Arkansas Department of Health through the application portal.
4. Arrange the verification the board asks for: ARRT or direct board verification.

Common slip-ups travelers hit here: submitting unofficial transcripts or verification documents instead of official ARRT-issued credentials, causing board rejection and resubmission delay.

Arkansas Radiology License Processing Time

Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. Arkansas does not publish a standard turnaround for radiology, so allow extra time before your start date.

Recommended lead time before your start date is the total runway, and it runs longer than the board's processing window. Start the application as early as you can, because your ARRT verification has to reach the board before it can act.

If you need more than one credential here, for example a base license plus an add-on authorization, they may process as separate items rather than in one pass. Do not assume you can layer the second credential on at the last minute.

Permanent endorsement or exam licensure is required before day-one work. Plan 12 weeks minimum to ensure license issuance before assignment start.

Arkansas Radiology Specialty Rules

Below is one subsection per credential that differs from the general Arkansas license, then roll-up lines for everything else.

CT Technologist

Divergence: specialty difference. Computed tomography is explicitly within the scope of the general Radiologic Technologist License.

• Credential: Covered by the base Radiologic Technologist License; no separate state credential. Employers typically require ARRT post-primary CT certification per facility policy

Radiation Therapist (Radiation Therapy Technologist License, RRT)

Divergence: separate license. Authorized for radiation therapy procedures only.

• Fee: $45 application, $45 renewal, every year
• Credential: Graduation from an accredited radiation therapy program and passing the ARRT Radiation Therapy national registry examination

How it differs from the general license: Radiation therapy is a distinct license category from the diagnostic radiographer license, requiring a separate accredited program and the ARRT Radiation Therapy exam rather than the ARRT Radiography exam. It does not authorize diagnostic radiography.

Nuclear Medicine Technologist (Nuclear Medicine Technologist License, NML)

Divergence: separate license. Authorized for nuclear medicine procedures only.

• Fee: $45 application, $45 renewal, every year
• Credential: Graduation from an accredited nuclear medicine technology program and passing either the ARRT Nuclear Medicine or the NMTCB national certification examination

How it differs from the general license: Nuclear medicine is a distinct license category from the diagnostic radiographer license, accepting NMTCB certification (not just ARRT) and requiring a nuclear-medicine-specific program. It does not authorize general diagnostic radiography.

Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator (Limited Licensed Technologist, LLT)

Divergence: limited-scope tier. May perform radiographic exams only in the specific module categories passed on the Limited Scope Examination. Explicitly excludes abdomen, pelvis/hips, ribs/sternum, fluoroscopy, and contrast studies.

• Fee: $45 application, $45 renewal, every year
• Credential: At least 18 years old, high school graduate, and passing the ARRT Limited Scope of Practice in Radiography examination in one or more modules (chest, extremity, skull/sinus, spine, and/or podiatry). A Temporary License is available for on-the-job trainees preparing for the exam

How it differs from the general license: A reduced-scope credential below the full radiographer license:

• Holders are restricted to the body-region modules they passed and cannot perform CT
• Mammography
• Fluoroscopy
• Contrast studies
• The excluded body regions that a full Radiologic Technologist may perform

Limited Specialty License - Invasive Cardiovascular Imaging (RCIS)

Divergence: limited-scope tier. Operate ionizing-radiation-emitting equipment limited to specific invasive cardiovascular imaging procedures, under the supervision of a Licensed Practitioner.

• Fee: $45 application, $45 renewal, every year
• Credential: CCI Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) credentialing, for individuals who are not Licensed Practitioners, Radiologic Technologists, or Limited Licensed Technologists

How it differs from the general license: A narrow specialty credential tied to the CCI-RCIS certification rather than ARRT, restricted to invasive cardiovascular imaging procedures performed under practitioner supervision. It does not authorize general diagnostic radiography.

MRI Technologist

Divergence: no state credential. Not state-regulated; magnetic resonance imaging does not produce ionizing radiation.

• Credential: No Arkansas state license. The Radiation Control program licenses only operators of ionizing-radiation and radiopharmaceutical equipment; MRI uses no ionizing radiation and is outside its scope. Employers typically require ARRT(MR) or ARMRIT certification per facility policy

How it differs from the general license: MRI falls entirely outside the Radiation Control licensure scheme because it involves no ionizing radiation, so no state license or supplemental authorization is required; credentialing is left to the hiring facility.

Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound

Divergence: no state credential. Not state-regulated as a distinct license; diagnostic medical sonography does not produce ionizing radiation.

• Credential: No Arkansas state license identified. Diagnostic ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation and is outside the Radiation Control program's scope. Employers typically require ARDMS (RDMS) certification per facility policy

How it differs from the general license: Diagnostic ultrasound involves no ionizing radiation and is not addressed by the Arkansas radiologic technology licensure categories, so no state license is required; credentialing is left to the hiring facility.

Medical Physicist

Divergence: no state credential. Not licensed as a radiologic technologist category; recognized by national board certification rather than state operator licensure.

• Credential: No Arkansas operator license required. Radiation health/medical physicists are expressly exempt from the requirement to obtain a license to apply ionizing radiation or administer radiopharmaceuticals, provided they are certified or eligible for certification by the American Board of Radiology, the American Board of Medical Physics, or the American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine

How it differs from the general license: Medical Physicists are explicitly exempted from the radiologic technologist licensure requirement; they are recognized through national board certification (ABR/ABMP/ABSNM) instead of holding any Arkansas operator license.

Specialties That Follow the General Arkansas License

These run under the general radiologic technologist license and need no separate state credential: Mammography.

Before You Pay: Confirm Your Modality

States differ on whether a radiology modality needs its own state credential. MRI, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy, sonography, and CT can each be a separate state license in one state, a facility credential checked against your ARRT registration in the next, and nothing extra in a third.

The specialty differences we have on file for Arkansas are above. What we cannot see is your specific assignment and the site you land at. Before you submit any application fee for an advanced modality, check whether Arkansas issues a state credential for it or whether the facility handles that against your certification. We would rather you ask first than pay for something the role never required.

Arkansas Licensing Board and Resources

Arkansas Department of Health

Board Website · Application Portal · License Verification

Phone: (501) 661-2301