Radiographic Seminar

Course Description

RTE2061 – Radiographic Seminar is a short capstone course, commonly 1 credit and roughly 16 contact hours, taken in the final term of Florida's Radiography A.S. program. Its purpose is specific and unambiguous: to prepare graduating students for the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) Certification Examination.

The course is a structured, comprehensive review of the entire program — radiographic procedures and positioning, image production and exposure, equipment operation and quality assurance, radiation physics, radiation protection and biology, patient care, and image analysis. Content is organized around the ARRT content specifications rather than around the order material was originally taught.

The method matters as much as the content. Students take practice examinations under timed conditions, analyze their results by content category to identify weaknesses, and then remediate specifically. Most programs use a commercial mock registry examination whose score correlates with actual ARRT performance, and several use it as a benchmark for readiness.

The course also covers test-taking strategy for a computer-adaptive examination, the application and scheduling process, the ARRT ethics requirements including the pre-application review process for candidates with criminal history, and the transition from student to credentialed professional — including Florida licensure, continuing education, and job search preparation.

Offered at approximately 18 Florida institutions with JRCERT-accredited radiography programs, including Broward, College of Central Florida, Daytona State, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Florida SouthWestern, Gulf Coast State, Hillsborough, Indian River State, Northwest Florida State, Pensacola State, Pasco-Hernando, Santa Fe, South Florida State, St. Johns River, State College of Florida, Tallahassee State, and Valencia.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

• Review and demonstrate competency across the full ARRT Radiography content specifications.
• Apply radiographic positioning and procedures knowledge across all anatomical regions.
• Apply image production principles including exposure factors, image quality, and digital imaging.
• Apply radiation physics and equipment operation principles.
• Apply radiation protection and radiobiology principles.
• Apply patient care, safety, and professional practice knowledge.
• Evaluate radiographic images and identify quality deficiencies and corrective actions.
• Complete timed practice examinations and analyze performance by content category.
• Identify individual areas of weakness and complete targeted remediation.
• Apply test-taking strategies appropriate to a computer-adaptive examination.
• Describe the ARRT application, eligibility, and examination scheduling process.
• Describe ARRT ethics requirements and the pre-application review process.
• Describe Florida licensure requirements and the application process.
• Prepare professional employment materials and describe the job search process.

Optional Outcomes

• Describe post-primary certification pathways in CT, MRI, mammography, and interventional radiography.
• Describe continuing education requirements for maintaining certification and licensure.
• Participate in a mock interview.
• Describe professional organizations and the value of membership.
• Reflect on professional development goals and career planning.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Patient care and education — ethics, legal issues, interpersonal communication, and infection control.
• Safety — radiation physics, radiobiology, radiation protection for patient and personnel, and dose limits.
• Image production — exposure factors, image acquisition, digital imaging, and quality assurance.
• Procedures — positioning and anatomy across thorax, abdomen, extremities, spine, head, and contrast studies.
• Image analysis — evaluating images and specifying corrections.
• Practice examinations — timed mock registry testing and score interpretation.
• Performance analysis — identifying weak content categories and targeted remediation.
• Test-taking strategy — computer-adaptive format, pacing, and question analysis.
• ARRT process — eligibility, application, ethics review, and scheduling.
• Florida licensure — Department of Health Bureau of Radiation Control requirements.
• Professional transition — resume, interviewing, and continuing education obligations.

Optional Topics

• Post-primary certification pathways.
• Continuing education and biennial renewal.
• Mock interviews and employer expectations.
• Professional organizations and advocacy.
• Career planning and advanced modality selection.

Resources & Tools

• ARRT Content Specifications for Radiography — the definitive blueprint the course is organized around; published free by ARRT.
• Lange Review: Radiography Examination (Saia), McGraw Hill — among the most widely used review texts.
• Radiography PREP (Saia) — program review and examination preparation.
• Mosby's Comprehensive Review of Radiography (Callaway), Elsevier.
• Commercial mock registry examinations — used by most programs as a readiness benchmark.
• Radiologic Science for Technologists (Bushong) and Merrill's Atlas of Radiographic Positioning — the primary references being reviewed.
• ARRT — application process, ethics requirements, and handbook.
• Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Radiation Control — state licensure.

Career Pathways

• Radiologic Technologist (SOC 29-2034) — the immediate destination on passing the ARRT examination and obtaining Florida licensure.
• Computed Tomography Technologist — the most common advanced modality; post-primary ARRT certification.
• MRI Technologist (SOC 29-2035), Mammographer, and Interventional Radiography.
• Radiation Therapist (SOC 29-1124) and Nuclear Medicine Technologist (SOC 29-2033) — related fields with separate credentials.
• Quality Management, PACS Administration, and Applications Specialist roles.
• Program Faculty and Clinical Coordinator — requiring additional education.

Florida employers include AdventHealth, Orlando Health, BayCare, Baptist Health, Memorial Healthcare, Tampa General, and Lee Health, plus a large freestanding imaging center sector. New graduates typically begin in general radiography and add modalities over time.

Special Information

Credit variation is substantial — check locally

Values differ widely for this course. Broward College lists RTE2061 at 1 credit with 16 contact hours; older Florida program maps and some catalogs list it at up to 4 credits with correspondingly more contact time. The 1-credit form recorded here reflects current practice at institutions that treat the course as a focused examination review; programs assigning more credit typically fold in additional comprehensive content. Transcript evaluators should compare contact hours rather than credits.

Course-title variation

The course appears as Radiographic Seminar (the SCNS title), Radiography Seminar (Broward, College of Central Florida), and Registry Review. Under SCNS these are equivalent at the same level.

Prerequisites

This is a terminal course and its prerequisites are the program sequence itself. Broward requires RTE2112, RTE2112L, RTE2763, and RTE2844 each with a minimum grade of C, with RTE2563 and RTE2854 as corequisites — effectively, everything before the final term. Verify locally.

ARRT ethics review can be a barrier, and candidates should address it early

This deserves emphasis because it surprises students late. ARRT requires candidates to disclose criminal convictions and certain disciplinary actions, and it evaluates eligibility on that basis. A conviction does not automatically disqualify a candidate, but the review takes time. ARRT offers a pre-application review that a candidate may request before enrolling or at any point during the program, and students with any history should use it rather than discovering a problem after completing a two-year degree. Programs generally raise this at admission; this course revisits it.

Pass rates are an accreditation measure, which shapes how programs treat this course

JRCERT monitors program effectiveness including ARRT examination pass rates, and programs report them publicly. That gives programs a strong institutional interest in this course, and many use mock registry scores as a readiness gate — requiring a minimum benchmark before endorsing a student's ARRT application. Students should confirm whether their program has such a requirement and treat practice examinations accordingly.