With the third largest biotechnology industry in the country, North Carolina is the place to earn a degree in medical imaging equipment technology.

By Jessica Santina
RWM Columnist
April 26, 2007

North Carolina has the third largest biotech industry in the nation. If you'd like to work with some of the world's most sophisticated biotech equipment, earn your medical imaging equipment technology degree in North Carolina.

Healthy Biotechnology Career Prospects
Forbes recently ranked the Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area as the number one place in the country to get a job. Between now and 2014, North Carolina will add nearly 700,000 jobs (and at a growth rate surpassing the national average). The top three growth industries in the state will be healthcare support, healthcare practice, and medical technology.

North Carolina boasts the world's greatest concentration of contract research organizations and testing companies (including the headquarters of biotech giant LabCorp). It's also home to the service center for Siemens Medical Solutions--one of the largest medical equipment manufacturers in the world. Here, trained technicians manufacture, maintain, and repair medical imaging devices

Biotechnology Equipment Training
Ultrasounds, MRIs, PET scanners, and mammography equipment require skilled technicians, so formal career training is a must. A medical imaging equipment technology degree prepares you to become a valued member of any healthcare team. Your technology training will include fundamental courses in human anatomy, medical terminology, and radiological systems.

Other courses deal in analog and digital electronics, as well as how to integrate computer network and medical imaging technology. You'll also learn to troubleshoot problems to ensure accurate diagnoses and effective treatment.

Upon completion of your biotech equipment training, you'll be ready for an entry-level position with a hospital, research facility, equipment manufacturer, or repair firm. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, median hourly wages of sensitive equipment technicians were $17.90 in 2004, and positions in the field are expected to experience growth through 2014.

Your degree in medical imaging equipment technology can put you on the cutting edge of medical science, while North Carolina offers job opportunities unrivaled by other states. What more reason do you need? Check out North Carolina for your medical imaging equipment technology degree. Prospects for biotechnology careers have never been healthier.

Sources
Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Precision instrument and equipment repairers"
Lincoln Tribune, "Consumer News: North Carolina Job Growth Expected to Surpass Nation"
North Carolina Dept. of Commerce, Business/Industry Development Division

About the Author
Jessica Santina is a freelance writer with a background in media and marketing. She also teaches first-year writing courses at the University of Nevada, Reno.