Radiologic technologists work with ionizing radiation, contrast media and patients who are often sedated or otherwise vulnerable, so the question of who gets to hold the title is handled at several levels at once. A state licensing or certification board reviews an applicant’s background before issuing credentials. A national certifying body runs its own ethics review before it will certify someone. Hospitals, imaging centers and outpatient clinics generally layer their own employment background check on top of both. Employers who hire radiologic technologists, or who manage staffing for diagnostic imaging departments, need to understand how these three layers fit together and where the gaps are.
Licensure comes first, and most states require it
Most states require a person to hold a license, certificate or permit before performing diagnostic or therapeutic radiologic procedures on patients. The exact structure varies. Some states issue a standalone radiologic technologist license through a health department or a medical board. Others fold the credential into a broader health occupations licensing scheme. A handful of states have no state level licensing requirement at all and rely mainly on the applicant holding national certification from the profession’s certifying body. Because this varies so much, employers should confirm the rule for the specific state where a technologist will work rather than assuming a single national standard applies.
Where a license or certificate is required, the application almost always asks about criminal history, and the agency reviewing the application is doing its own background check, separate from anything an employer orders later.
How state licensing boards review criminal history
The following examples show how three state agencies currently handle this review. They illustrate the pattern, not a complete fifty state list, since the specific questions and disqualifying offenses vary by state and change over time.
California
California’s Radiologic Health Branch, part of the California Department of Public Health, issues the state’s radiologic technology certificates. Applicants generally qualify either by holding current national certification from the profession’s certifying body or by completing a state approved radiologic technology program and passing the required examination. Standards for certification, including the ethics and conduct expectations the department applies, are shaped with input from the state’s Radiologic Technology Certification Committee, an advisory body made up of physicians, radiologic technologists and a radiological physicist that recommends standards to the department.
New York
New York licenses radiologic technologists through its Department of Health. The state’s licensure application asks applicants whether they have ever been convicted of a criminal offense involving a threat or use of physical violence, sexual misconduct, illegal possession or use of drugs, or theft or fraud, setting aside minor traffic violations and youthful offender adjudications. The form states directly that a conviction is not an automatic bar to licensure and that each case is reviewed on its own facts. General program information and a frequently asked questions page are posted on the department’s radiologic technology section, including a dedicated FAQ page for applicants.
Florida
Florida’s Department of Health regulates radiologic technologists through its radiation control program. According to the department’s own licensing page, applicants must submit complete documentation of any past criminal convictions or professional disciplinary actions and must not have committed an offense listed under section 435.03 of the Florida Statutes, the same disqualifying offense list the state uses for its broader Level 2 background screening of workers in positions of trust. Florida’s frequently asked questions page adds that answering the conviction question incorrectly, even by mistake, is a common reason a renewal gets held up.
Where a state has no specific rule
Not every state publishes a detailed criminal history policy for this profession on its licensing board site, and some states rely primarily on national certification rather than a separate state criminal history review. Employers should not assume a fingerprint based check or a specific disqualifying offense list exists in a state simply because it exists elsewhere. When a state’s rule is not clearly documented, the honest answer is that it varies, and the agency’s own page is the source to check before relying on any secondhand summary.
| State | Licensing or certifying agency | Criminal history review on the application | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Department of Public Health, Radiologic Health Branch | Standards set by the department with advisory input from the Radiologic Technology Certification Committee | Certificate generally requires national certification or completion of an approved program |
| New York | Department of Health | Direct conviction question on the license application, reviewed case by case | Conviction is not stated as an automatic bar to licensure |
| Florida | Department of Health, radiation control program | Applicant must disclose convictions and disciplinary history and must not have committed an offense under section 435.03, Florida Statutes | Uses the state’s general disqualifying offense list for positions of trust |
| Other states | Varies by state | Varies, confirm with the state agency | Some states rely mainly on national certification rather than a separate state criminal history review |
National certification and its own ethics review
Separate from any state requirement, most working radiologic technologists in the United States hold national certification from the profession’s national certifying body. That process generally includes an ethics review in addition to the educational and examination requirements. In general terms, the certifying body asks applicants to disclose criminal history and certain other conduct issues, and it can deny, restrict or revoke certification based on that review, independent of what any individual state decides about licensure. Employers should treat this certification ethics review and a state license as two different gates, and should not assume either one takes the place of the employer’s own background check. National certification speaks to professional eligibility, not to whether a specific candidate is a good fit for a specific employer’s patient population, equipment access or supervision level.
Federal exclusion screening employers should not skip
Hospitals, imaging centers and physician practices that bill Medicare or Medicaid have an independent reason to screen radiologic technologists beyond licensure. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General maintains the List of Excluded Individuals and Entities, commonly called the LEIE. An employer that bills federal health care programs for services performed, ordered or supervised by an excluded individual can face civil monetary penalties, and the exclusion check is something the employer is expected to run itself rather than rely on licensure alone to catch.
For hospitals specifically, radiologic and imaging services are also addressed under the Medicare Conditions of Participation. Under 42 CFR 482.26, a hospital’s radiologic services must meet professionally approved standards for safety and personnel qualifications, which in practice ties back to state licensure and credentialing standards for anyone who operates the equipment or administers a procedure. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services oversees compliance with these conditions through its survey and certification process.
Drug screening in imaging departments
Many hospitals and imaging centers include radiologic technologists in their pre-employment and, in some cases, random drug testing programs. The reasoning is usually tied to patient safety during procedures involving sedation, contrast reactions or emergency response, and to the general expectation that clinical staff with patient contact are fit for duty. Programs and their specific panels vary by employer and, for federally regulated settings, by the applicable federal rule. Employers should work from their own written drug testing policy and should direct any positive result through a proper review process rather than trying to interpret it on their own.
Clinical placement checks for students
Students in radiologic technology programs typically need to pass a background check, and often a drug screen, before a hospital or imaging center will allow them onto its clinical floor for required rotations. This requirement generally comes from the clinical site’s own policy and from the hospital’s accreditation and Medicare Conditions of Participation obligations, not from the state licensing board, since most students have not yet applied for licensure or certification. Programs usually coordinate this screening directly with each affiliated clinical site. For a closer look at how these student specific checks work, see our related post on background checks for clinical placements.
What the FCRA requires when an employer orders the check
When an employer, rather than a licensing board, orders a background check report on a radiologic technologist candidate through a consumer reporting agency, the Fair Credit Reporting Act sets the process. The employer must provide a clear and conspicuous standalone disclosure, separate from the job application, and get the applicant’s written authorization before ordering the report. If the employer is considering an adverse decision based on what the report shows, it must send a pre-adverse action notice along with a copy of the report and a copy of the Summary of Rights, give the applicant a reasonable opportunity to respond, and then send a final adverse action notice if it proceeds. The Federal Trade Commission’s own guidance for employers walks through these steps in more detail. None of this is a substitute for, or a duplicate of, the state licensing review described earlier. It is a separate legal obligation that attaches whenever an employer uses a third party report to make a hiring decision.
A background check does not necessarily show a license board action in every case, and what a criminal record search returns can vary by state and by how far back state law allows a report to go. Employers should not assume a check will surface every disciplinary history item, and should not treat silence on a report as proof that nothing exists.
Putting a screening program together
A reasonable screening approach for radiologic technologist hiring generally includes confirming the candidate’s current state license or certificate directly with the issuing agency, confirming current national certification status, running an OIG exclusion check and, where applicable under the Medicare Conditions of Participation, documenting that the candidate meets personnel qualification standards. Many of these exclusion and sanction checks overlap with the broader healthcare exclusion screening process that hospitals already run for other clinical roles. Our guide to healthcare exclusion screening and the OIG LEIE walks through how that process typically works across a healthcare workforce. Employers that want a compliant FCRA background check built into that process can learn more at Reveal Background.
Frequently asked questions
Do all states require a separate criminal history check to license a radiologic technologist?
No. Most states require some form of licensure or certification, and most of those applications ask about criminal history, but the specific process and disqualifying offenses vary by state. Some states rely mainly on national certification rather than running a separate state level review. Always confirm the current rule with the state agency rather than assuming one state’s process applies everywhere.
Does a conviction automatically disqualify someone from becoming a radiologic technologist?
Generally, no. States that ask about convictions on the license application, such as New York, typically describe the review as case by case rather than an automatic bar. Florida ties its disqualification standard to a specific statutory offense list rather than any conviction at all. Employers and applicants should check the issuing agency’s own materials rather than assume a conviction ends the process.
Is the national certifying body’s ethics review the same thing as an employer background check?
No. National certification ethics review addresses whether someone is eligible to hold certification in the profession. An employer’s background check addresses whether a specific candidate is suitable for a specific job, and is governed separately by the Fair Credit Reporting Act when a third party consumer report is used. Employers should run their own check rather than relying on certification status alone.
Why would a hospital check the OIG exclusion list for a radiologic technologist?
Hospitals and imaging centers that bill Medicare or Medicaid can face civil monetary penalties if they bill for services performed, ordered or supervised by someone on the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s exclusion list. This check is separate from state licensure and is generally run directly by the employer.
Do radiologic technology students need a background check before clinical rotations?
Typically yes. Clinical sites usually require students to pass a background check and often a drug screen before allowing them onto the floor for required rotations, driven by the hospital’s own policy and its accreditation and Medicare Conditions of Participation obligations.
Can an employer refuse to hire someone based solely on a background check report?
An employer generally may be able to consider a background check report as part of a hiring decision, but the Fair Credit Reporting Act requires proper disclosure, authorization, and, before any adverse decision, a pre-adverse action notice, a copy of the report, a copy of the Summary of Rights, and a final adverse action notice if the employer proceeds. Employers should also consider applicable state and local fair chance laws and are encouraged to consult counsel on how those laws apply to a specific decision.
This article is general information, not legal or medical advice. Employers should consult qualified counsel about how state licensing rules and background check laws apply to a specific hiring decision.
