Virginia Radiologic Technologist Licensing Guide

Virginia Radiology License Overview

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

• Limited-permit tier: Radiologic Technologist-Limited

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

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

Virginia Radiology License Requirements

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

• National certification: confirm with the board which ARRT credential Virginia accepts, and whether it must stay current.
• Credential required: ARRT certification as R.T.(R) (graduate of an ARRT-recognized program who passed the ARRT exam). Out-of-state RTs may license by endorsement.
• Scope of the base license: Comprehensive scope of diagnostic or therapeutic radiologic procedures using ionizing radiation. CE: 24 hours per biennium acceptable to ARRT (at least 12 Category A). Renews biennially during birth month in odd-numbered years.
• Verification: ARRT or direct board verification.

Virginia Radiology License Fees and Credentials

Virginia 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 Virginia does not license those modalities.

$130 application fee (18VAC85-101-25); renewal is every 2 years. The board says anyone employed or engaged by a hospital, health care system, or an urgent care center affiliated with one, acting within the scope of that employment, does not need a Board of Medicine license in those settings; confirm with the board whether a contract assignment qualifies.

Virginia Radiology License Renewal and CE

• Renewal cycle: every 2 years, during your birth month in each odd-numbered year.
• Continuing education: Virginia sets 24 hours per 2-year cycle, but maintaining an active ARRT certification satisfies the state's CE requirement.
• Radiologic Technologist-Limited CE: 12 hours of Category A continuing education per biennium corresponding to the anatomical areas practiced, half the 24 hours required for the full radiologic technologist license.

How to Get a Virginia Radiology License

In outline, applying takes four steps:

1. Confirm the credential Virginia 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 Virginia Board of Medicine through the application portal.
4. Arrange the verification the board asks for: ARRT or direct board verification.

Common slip-ups travelers hit here: submitting incomplete verification from prior state or ARRT; Virginia board will not process until full license history is provided, causing 1-2 week delay for resubmission.

Virginia Radiology License Processing Time

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

Virginia does not issue a temporary license. Your permanent license must be issued before you start, unless you are licensed in another state or the District of Columbia and your employer is a licensed hospital, nursing home, assisted living facility, dialysis facility or health department that files for a 90-day temporary authorization. The board says licensing time depends on external entities, so plan accordingly.

Virginia Radiology Specialty Rules

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

Radiologic Technologist-Limited

Divergence: limited-scope tier. Diagnostic radiographic procedures using ionizing radiation limited to specific areas of the human body. CE: 12 hours of Category A per biennium corresponding to the anatomical areas practiced (vs 24 hours for full RT).

• Fee: $90 application, $70 renewal, every 2 years
• Credential: Completion of a board-accepted program (50 clock hours: 25 image production/equipment, 15 radiation protection, 10 radiographic procedures) and passing the ARRT Limited Scope of Practice core exam plus the relevant anatomical-region procedure section(s)
• CE: 12 hours of Category A continuing education per biennium corresponding to the anatomical areas practiced, half the 24 hours required for the full radiologic technologist license

How it differs from the general license: A reduced-scope, lower-fee permit issued to operators limited to specific anatomical regions rather than the full diagnostic scope. It requires a shorter board-accepted course and the ARRT Limited Scope exam instead of full R.T.(R) certification, and carries lower fees and a 12-hour (not 24-hour) CE obligation.

CT Technologist

Divergence: facility-credentialed. Computed tomography uses ionizing radiation, so it falls within the regulated radiologic technologist scope, but Virginia issues no distinct CT license or supplemental authorization. Facilities credential CT competency against the ARRT(CT) post-primary certificate.

• Credential: No separate Virginia credential. Practitioners operate under the general Radiologic Technologist license; CT competency is established via the holder's ARRT post-primary certification (CT) and verified by the hiring facility

How it differs from the general license: Virginia does not issue a separate CT license or add-on. A CT technologist works under the base RT license, with CT-specific competency credentialed by the employer against the ARRT post-primary CT certification rather than by the state.

MRI Technologist

Divergence: no state credential. Magnetic resonance imaging is non-ionizing and is not within the regulated radiologic technologist scope. Virginia issues no MRI license or permit.

• Credential: No Virginia credential. MRI uses no ionizing radiation, so it falls outside the radiologic technology licensing scheme entirely; competency is credentialed by the employer (commonly ARRT(MR) or ARMRIT)

How it differs from the general license: MRI is entirely outside the Virginia radiologic technology license because it uses no ionizing radiation. The Board of Medicine page and the staffing guidance confirm MRI-only work does not require Virginia RT licensure.

Sonographer (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound)

Divergence: no state credential. Diagnostic medical ultrasound is non-ionizing and not within the regulated radiologic technologist scope. Virginia issues no sonography license or permit.

• Credential: No Virginia credential. Diagnostic ultrasound uses no ionizing radiation and falls outside the radiologic technology licensing scheme; competency is credentialed by the employer (commonly ARDMS or ARRT(S))

How it differs from the general license: Sonography is outside the Virginia radiologic technology license because it uses no ionizing radiation. Ultrasound-only work does not require Virginia RT licensure; ARDMS-style certification is credentialed by the facility, not the state.

Medical Physicist

Divergence: no state credential. Virginia issues no Medical Physicist license under the Board of Medicine radiologic technology scheme. Any radiation-machine quality/safety oversight is handled through the state's radiation control regulations and facility/board-certification (e.g., ABR) credentialing rather than an individual practice license.

• Credential: No Virginia license. Virginia is not among the states (commonly TX, FL, HI, NY) that license Medical Physicists; 18VAC85-101 (Board of Medicine) does not regulate the profession

How it differs from the general license: Unlike the handful of states that license Medical Physicists, Virginia does not, so there is no state credential, fee, or CE cycle for the role under the radiologic technology board.

Specialties That Follow the General Virginia License

These run under the general radiologic technologist license and need no separate state credential: Mammography, Radiation Therapist, and Nuclear Medicine Technologist.

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 Virginia 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 Virginia 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.

Virginia Licensing Board and Resources

Virginia Board of Medicine

Board Website · Application Portal · License Verification

Phone: (804) 367-4600