New York Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide

Most of the radiology family in New York 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: specialty difference. Computed tomography is performed under the general NYS radiographer license. New York does not issue a distinct CT credential; CT competency is credentialed by the employing facility against the holder's ARRT post-primary CT certification.

• Credential: Active NYS radiologic technologist (radiography) license; ARRT post-primary CT certification typically required by employers

MRI Technologist

Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging uses non-ionizing radiation and falls outside New York's radiologic technology licensing statute (PBH Article 35). MRI operators are not state-licensed; regulation has been proposed in the past but not enacted.

• Credential: No NYS license. Employers typically require ARRT(MR) or ARMRIT certification

How it differs from the general license: Unlike the ionizing-radiation radiographer license, MRI is not regulated by New York State; no state credential is issued and the modality is governed solely by employer/facility credentialing.

Radiation Therapist (Radiation Therapy Technologist)

Divergence: separate license. Administration of therapeutic ionizing radiation. New York statute (PBH 3502) directs the department to issue separate licenses in radiography, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine technology.

• Fee: $120 application, $20/yr renewal, every 4 years
• Credential: Separate NYS Department of Health license in radiation therapy (PBH 3502); approved radiation-therapy program plus ARRT(T) examination
• CE: Same continuing-education framework (12 hours per year of cycle) but tied to the therapy license category

How it differs from the general license: Radiation therapy is a distinct license category under PBH 3502, not an endorsement on the diagnostic radiography license; a radiographer cannot perform therapeutic radiation without the separate therapy license.

Nuclear Medicine Technologist

Divergence: separate license. Preparation and administration of radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine imaging. PBH 3502 directs the department to issue a separate license in nuclear medicine technology.

• Fee: $120 application, $20/yr renewal, every 4 years
• Credential: Separate NYS Department of Health nuclear medicine technology license (required to practice since January 1, 2009); approved NMT program plus NMTCB or ARRT(N) examination
• CE: Same DOH continuing-education framework, tied to the nuclear medicine license category

How it differs from the general license: Nuclear medicine technology is its own statutory license category under PBH 3502; it cannot be performed under the diagnostic radiography license and has been mandatory since 2009.

Diagnostic Medical Sonographer

Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound uses non-ionizing sound waves and is not covered by New York's radiologic technology licensing statute. New York does not license sonographers; competency is credentialed by the hiring facility, typically against ARDMS certification.

• Credential: No NYS license. ARDMS (RDMS) certification is the de facto employer requirement
• CE: No state CE requirement applies; CE follows the holder's ARDMS certification

How it differs from the general license: Sonography is outside the ionizing-radiation licensing scheme entirely; New York issues no sonography credential, unlike the DOH-licensed radiographer.

Limited-Scope Radiographer (Limited Permit X-ray Operator)

Divergence: limited-scope tier. Authorized to perform only simple radiographs of specified anatomic regions (chest, extremities, skull/sinus, spine/sacrum). May not use fluoroscopy or inject IV contrast, and practices only under supervision of a licensed practitioner or full RT, primarily at urgent care centers.

• Credential: Completion of an approved limited-scope program (approx. 80 didactic hours + 240 clinical hours with at least five clinical competencies); DOH limited-scope radiographer license
• CE: Reduced-scope license; CE/registration administered by DOH alongside the full radiographer program

How it differs from the general license: This is a restricted-scope credential below the full radiographer license: it covers only enumerated anatomic regions, prohibits fluoroscopy and contrast injection, and limits the practice setting (urgent care), unlike the unrestricted general radiographer license.

Contrast Media Injection Certification

Divergence: add-on authorization. Add-on DOH certification permitting a licensed radiologic technologist to administer or inject IV contrast media, subject to prior practitioner approval and same-day patient evaluation. Not a standalone license.

• Credential: Active NYS radiologic technologist license plus DOH certification to administer/inject IV contrast media (PBH 3502; commissioner's rules)

How it differs from the general license: This is an add-on authorization layered on top of an active radiographer license, not a separate license; without it a NYS RT may not inject IV contrast.

Medical Physicist

Divergence: separate license. Practice of medical physics or use of the title 'professional medical physicist' requires a NYSED license. Four specialty areas: diagnostic radiological physics, medical health physics, medical nuclear physics, and therapeutic radiological/radiation oncology physics; a physicist may only practice in a specialty they are licensed in.

• Fee: $495 application, $260 renewal, every 3 years
• Credential: Master's or doctoral degree from a Department-registered (CAMPEP-accredited acceptable) medical physics program, at least 2 years full-time specialty experience, and examination; license is specialty-specific (four areas)
• CE: CE/registration is governed by NYSED Office of the Professions (triennial registration), separate from the DOH radiologic-technologist CE framework

How it differs from the general license: Medical physics is a wholly separate profession licensed by NYSED (Education Department), not the DOH that licenses radiographers; it requires a graduate degree and is specialty-specific across four physics areas, unrelated to the radiographer license.

Specialties that follow the general New York 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 New York 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 New York 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.