Nebraska Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide

Nebraska Radiology License Overview

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

• Separate license: Limited Computed Tomography Radiographer
• Limited-permit tier: Limited Radiographer / Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator

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

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

Nebraska Radiology License Requirements

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

• National certification: confirm with the board which ARRT credential Nebraska accepts, and whether it must stay current.
• Credential required: Completion of an approved radiography education program (associate degree) and a passing score (75+) on the ARRT Examination in Radiography or equivalent.
• Scope of the base license: Medical radiography on any body part except interpretive fluoroscopic procedures.
• Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.

Nebraska Radiology License Fees and Credentials

Nebraska 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 Nebraska does not license those modalities.

$146 for initial licensure and for renewal (biennial); prorated to $36.50 if the license is issued June through November of an even-numbered year.

Nebraska Radiology License Renewal and CE

• Renewal cycle: every 2 years, on December 1 of even-numbered years.
• Continuing education: Nebraska sets 24 hours per 2-year cycle, but maintaining an active ARRT certification satisfies the state's CE requirement.

How to Get a Nebraska Radiology License

In outline, applying takes four steps:

1. Confirm the credential Nebraska 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 Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services through the application portal.
4. Arrange the verification the board asks for: ARRT or direct board verification.

Common slip-ups travelers hit here: submitting verifications from expired or revoked out-of-state licenses; Nebraska requires proof of current, active license status at time of application.

Nebraska Radiology License Processing Time

Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. Nebraska 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.

Nebraska's license decision takes 4-6 weeks from receipt of a complete application. Its temporary licenses are only for radiography students and people registered in nuclear medicine (limited CT), so plan for the permanent license to be issued before your start date.

Nebraska Radiology Specialty Rules

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

Limited Radiographer / Limited-Scope X-Ray Operator

Divergence: limited-scope tier. Medical radiography on limited regions of the human body using routine procedures, plus Bone Densitometry where the separate exam is passed.

• Fee: $146 application, $146 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Approved limited-scope education and passing exam; a separate exam is required to perform Bone Densitometry under the limited credential

How it differs from the general license: A reduced-scope license below the full medical radiographer: the holder may image only limited anatomical regions using routine procedures rather than any body part. Bone densitometry is an add-on that requires passing a separate exam.

Limited Computed Tomography Radiographer

Divergence: separate license. Practice restricted to computed tomography scanning.

• Fee: $146 application, $146 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Limited Computed Tomography Radiographer license; nuclear medicine registrants (NMTCB or ARRT) may obtain a non-renewable Temporary Limited CT credential for supervised CT practice

How it differs from the general license: Nebraska issues a distinct Limited Computed Tomography Radiographer license restricted to CT. A separate 24-month Temporary Limited CT license, which cannot be renewed, is open to people registered in nuclear medicine, who practice under the direct supervision and in the physical presence of a licensed practitioner, medical radiographer, or limited CT radiographer.

MRI Technologist

Divergence: no state credential.

• Credential: No Nebraska license; employers typically require ARRT(MR) or ARMRIT certification, credentialed by the hiring facility

How it differs from the general license: MRI uses no ionizing radiation and is outside the Medical Radiography Practice Act. Nebraska issues no MRI credential; ASRT lists Magnetic Resonance as not state-regulated in Nebraska.

Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound)

Divergence: no state credential.

• Credential: No Nebraska license; employers typically require ARDMS/ARRT(S) certification, credentialed by the hiring facility

How it differs from the general license: Diagnostic ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation and falls outside the Medical Radiography Practice Act. Nebraska issues no sonography credential; ASRT lists Sonography as not state-regulated in Nebraska.

Medical Physicist

Divergence: no state credential.

• Credential: No Nebraska Medical Physicist license; practice relies on board certification (e.g., ABR)

How it differs from the general license: Nebraska is not among the small set of states (commonly TX, FL, HI, NY) that license Medical Physicists. The Medical Radiography Practice Act does not establish a Medical Physicist credential.

Credentialed by the Facility, Not the State

Nebraska does not separately license these modalities, so the hiring facility credentials them: Radiation Therapist and Nuclear Medicine Technologist.

Specialties That Follow the General Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska 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.

Nebraska Licensing Board and Resources

Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

Board Website · Application Portal · License Verification

Phone: (402) 471-2117

Email: [email protected]