Hawaii Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide

Most of the radiology family in Hawaii runs on the general license. A handful of credentials genuinely diverge, and those are the ones worth reading closely. Below is one subsection per real difference, then roll-up lines for everything else.

CT Technologist

Divergence: facility-credentialed. Computed tomography is diagnostic x-ray imaging and is captured by the radiographer scope; Hawaii issues no distinct CT credential.

• Credential: No separate Hawaii credential. Performed under the radiographer (R-) license; CT uses x-rays for diagnostic purposes and falls within the statutory definition of 'radiography' (HRS 466J-1). Employers typically require the ARRT post-primary CT certification

How it differs from the general license: Hawaii does not issue a CT-specific license or supplemental authorization. A CT technologist works under the general radiographer license, and CT-specific competency is credentialed by the hiring facility against the holder's ARRT post-primary CT certification rather than by the state board.

MRI Technologist

Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging uses no ionizing radiation and is outside the scope of the Radiologic Technology Board's authority.

• Credential: No Hawaii license. MRI is not regulated under HRS Chapter 466J, which governs only x-rays, ionizing radiation, and radiopharmaceuticals

How it differs from the general license: MRI uses no ionizing radiation, so it is not covered by Chapter 466J. Hawaii issues no MRI credential; MRI technologists are not licensed by the state and competency is established through ARRT (MR) or ARMRIT certification and employer credentialing.

Radiation Therapist (Certified Radiation Therapist)

Divergence: separate license. Application of ionizing radiation to human beings for therapeutic purposes (HRS 466J-1). Issued as a distinct license with a T- license number.

• Fee: $60 application, $60 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: ARRT registration in Radiation Therapy in good standing (HRS 466J-5(a)). Non-ARRT applicants must pass the ARRT exam
• CE: Same 24 CE credits per biennium (HRS 466J-5.5); ARRT good standing deemed compliant

How it differs from the general license: Radiation therapy is its own distinct state license (T- number) with its own ARRT-Radiation-Therapy credential requirement and its own application; it is not performed under the radiographer license. The scope is therapeutic delivery of ionizing radiation rather than diagnostic x-ray imaging.

Nuclear Medicine Technologist (Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist)

Divergence: separate license. Administration of radiopharmaceuticals and in vivo / in vitro detection and measurement of radioactivity for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes (HRS 466J-1). Issued as a distinct license with an N- license number.

• Fee: $60 application, $60 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: NMTCB certification, or ARRT registration in Nuclear Medicine, in good standing (HRS 466J-5(b)). Board may also accept ARRT-Radiography registration with acceptable NMT clinical training/experience, or documented NMT practice/training acceptable to the board
• CE: Same 24 CE credits per biennium (HRS 466J-5.5); ARRT or NMTCB good standing deemed compliant

How it differs from the general license: Nuclear medicine is its own distinct state license (N- number) and accepts NMTCB certification as well as ARRT(N). It covers radiopharmaceutical administration and radioactivity measurement rather than diagnostic x-ray imaging, so it is not performed under the radiographer license.

Sonographer / Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound

Divergence: no state credential. Ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation and is outside the Radiologic Technology Board's jurisdiction.

• Credential: No Hawaii license. Diagnostic medical ultrasound is not within HRS Chapter 466J (no ionizing radiation, no radiopharmaceuticals)

How it differs from the general license: Sonography is unregulated by the state; Hawaii issues no sonography credential. Practice competency is established through ARDMS/ARRT(S) certification and employer credentialing rather than a state license.

Limited-Scope / Limited-Permit X-ray Operator

Divergence: no state credential. No limited-scope x-ray tier exists. To apply x-rays diagnostically in Hawaii a person must hold the full radiographer (R-) license, which requires ARRT registration.

• Credential: None. Hawaii does not issue or recognize a limited-scope / limited-permit x-ray operator license. The only reduced credential in Chapter 466J is a board-issued special temporary permit for unlicensed radiographers working in shortage areas (HRS 466J-6(b)), not a standing limited license

How it differs from the general license: Unlike many states, Hawaii has no limited-permit/limited-scope x-ray machine operator category below the full radiographer license. There is no reduced-scope credential; the board can issue only a discretionary special temporary permit in designated shortage areas.

Medical Physicist

Divergence: no state credential. Medical physics is outside the Radiologic Technology Board's authority. (Radiation-producing machine registration and radioactive-material licensing are handled separately by the DOH Radiation Control Program, but that is facility/source registration, not a personal medical-physicist license.).

• Credential: No Hawaii medical-physicist license under the radiologic technology scheme. HRS Chapter 466J does not regulate medical physicists, and ASRT lists no medical-physicist licensure for Hawaii

How it differs from the general license: Despite Hawaii sometimes being cited among states that license medical physicists, no medical-physicist personal license appears in the radiologic technology statute (HRS Chapter 466J) and ASRT lists none. Marked not_licensed under the radiologic technology scheme; any physicist oversight is via the separate Radiation Control source/facility program, not a board license.

Specialties that follow the general Hawaii license

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

Before you pay: confirm your modality

Within radiology, whether a modality needs its own state credential is not consistent, and it is the thing travelers most often get wrong. 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 divergences we verified for Hawaii 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, confirm with your recruiter whether Hawaii 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.