Oregon Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
About 30 days
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$216
Renewal: $216
Credential
ARRT
Required national certification
Renewal
1 hours
Every 2 years
State Overview
Oregon licenses radiology as more than a single credential. Alongside the general radiologic technologist license, it recognizes 4 separate base licenses (MRI Technologist, Radiation Therapist, Nuclear Medicine Technologist, and Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound)), plus an add-on authorization (CT Technologist), plus a limited-permit tier (Limited-Scope X-ray Machine Operator (LXMO)).
A few other modalities are not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Oregon license. The specialty section below covers each, including where a single-modality candidate may not be placeable.
Across radiology, ARRT certification is the national credential that anchors state licensure. A license you hold in another state does not transfer automatically, so you apply directly to Oregon's licensing board for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you perform radiology procedures in Oregon, the baseline below applies regardless of where you trained or which modality you work in.
- National certification: an active ARRT credential is the prerequisite the state license is built on. The state credential sits on top of ARRT, not instead of it.
- Credential required: ARRT(R) or CBRPA.
- Scope of the base license: Practice of radiography, including fluoroscopy and mammography; also non-diagnostic PET/CT and SPECT/CT. Diagnostic CT requires an added CT credential.
- Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.
Fees & Credentials
Oregon issues more than one radiology credential, so fees vary by what you actually do. The table below is one row per state-recognized credential.
| Credential | Application | Renewal | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiographer (General Diagnostic Radiologic Technologist) | $216 | $216 | Every 2 years |
| MRI Technologist | $216 | $216 | Every 2 years |
| Radiation Therapist | $216 | $216 | Every 2 years |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $216 | $216 | Every 2 years |
| Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound) | $216 | $216 | Every 2 years |
| Limited-Scope X-ray Machine Operator (LXMO) | $216 | $216 | Every 2 years |
There is no state fee line for Medical Physicist, because Oregon does not license those modalities. Their absence from the table is the point, not an omission.
$9/month (OAR 337-021-0030); the initial charge is usually LESS than the $216 two-year ceiling because OBMI prorates to your next birth-month renewal. A one-time fingerprint fee also applies.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 2 years, on first day of birth month.
- Continuing education: Oregon requires 1 hour per 2-year cycle for the general license, alongside maintaining your ARRT credential.
- Limited-Scope X-ray Machine Operator (LXMO) CE: 18 CE hours per two years for 3 or fewer anatomical areas, or 24 hours for 4+ areas, including at least 4 hours in radiation use and safety.
Getting Licensed
Radiology licensure is ARRT-primary, so the path is shorter than the multi-step endorsement other professions run. For most candidates it is four steps:
- Hold the right ARRT credential for the work you will do (Radiography for general x-ray; the matching post-primary credential for a modality the state licenses).
- Complete a board-approved program if the state requires one for your credential.
- Apply to Oregon Board of Medical Imaging through the application portal.
- Have ARRT verify your credential to the board directly. You do not self-attest the certification.
Common slip-ups travelers hit here: incomplete or mismatched credentials documentation from previous state; Oregon requires official verification from ARRT or prior state board, not self-reported credentials, missing or conflicting documentation triggers formal review delay.
Processing & Timing
Board processing time is how long the board takes once it has a complete application. In Oregon: About 30 days. Boards rarely publish a guaranteed turnaround, so treat this as a planning number rather than a promise.
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.
Oregon's lack of temporary licensing combined with 4-6 week processing and monthly board meeting cycles creates significant assignment timing risk. No start date accommodation is possible until permanent license is issued.
Specialty Differences
Most of the radiology family in Oregon 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: add-on authorization. Operation of CT equipment for diagnosis, including cone-beam CT. A radiography licensee may operate an Extremity CT (ECT) unit without the CT credential.
- Credential: ARRT(CT) or NMTCB(CT) credential added to an active OBMI permanent license; temporary CT license available while credentialing
How it differs from the general license: Unlike most radiation-control states, Oregon does not fold CT silently into the radiographer license; an OBMI licensee must add an ARRT or NMTCB CT credential (or hold a temporary CT license) to operate diagnostic CT. The radiography license alone only permits Extremity CT.
MRI Technologist
Divergence: separate license. Practice of magnetic resonance imaging.
- Fee: $216 application, $216 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: ARMRIT or ARRT(MR)
How it differs from the general license: Oregon is unusual in requiring a distinct state MRI license even though MRI uses no ionizing radiation; in most states MRI is not state-licensed at all. The OBMI MRI license is separate from the radiography license and requires its own ARMRIT or ARRT(MR) credential.
Radiation Therapist
Divergence: separate license. Radiation therapy and treatment-planning CT.
- Fee: $216 application, $216 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: ARRT(T)
How it differs from the general license: Radiation therapy is its own OBMI permanent license, separate from radiography, and requires the ARRT(T) credential. It is one of the five named OBMI modalities.
Nuclear Medicine Technologist
Divergence: separate license. Nuclear medicine, including diagnostic CT, PET/CT, SPECT/CT and hybrid scanners (merged-technology rules apply).
- Fee: $216 application, $216 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: NMTCB or ARRT(N)
How it differs from the general license: Nuclear medicine is its own OBMI permanent license, separate from radiography, requiring NMTCB or ARRT(N) credentialing. For hybrid PET/CT and SPECT/CT, OAR 337-010-0011 imposes merged-technology operator requirements.
Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound)
Divergence: separate license. General sonography, echocardiography, and vascular ultrasound.
- Fee: $216 application, $216 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: ARDMS, ARRT, or CCI
How it differs from the general license: Oregon is one of the few states that licenses sonographers at all (no ionizing radiation is involved). The OBMI sonography license is separate from radiography and accepts ARDMS, ARRT, or CCI credentials.
Limited-Scope X-ray Machine Operator (LXMO)
Divergence: limited-scope tier. Radiographic procedures limited to specific anatomical categories under supervision: skull and sinuses, spine, chest, extremities, podiatric, and bone densitometry.
- Fee: $216 application, $216 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: OBMI-recognized limited x-ray course plus passing the ARRT Limited Scope Examination (70%+)
- CE: 18 CE hours per two years for 3 or fewer anatomical areas, or 24 hours for 4+ areas, including at least 4 hours in radiation use and safety
How it differs from the general license: A reduced-scope permit below the full radiography license; the holder may only image the specific anatomical regions they have trained and tested into (under supervision), versus the unrestricted scope of a full radiographer license.
Medical Physicist
Divergence: no state credential.
How it differs from the general license: Oregon does not license individual medical physicists through OBMI. The five OBMI modalities (radiography, radiation therapy, sonography, nuclear medicine, MRI) do not include medical physics, and Oregon Health Authority Radiation Protection Services regulates radiation-machine registration rather than individual physicist licensure.
Specialties that follow the general Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon 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.
Official Resources
Oregon Board of Medical Imaging
Board Website·Application Portal·License Verification
Phone: 971-673-0215
Email: [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
Please note that while Fusion Medical Staffing strives to provide the most current and accurate information, we cannot guarantee the completeness or timeliness of the information provided. Requirements and processes can change frequently. Healthcare professionals are strongly encouraged to verify details directly with Oregon Board of Medical Imaging's official website.
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