Key Points
- Pharmacy technicians earn a median annual wage of $43,460 and radiologic technologists and technicians earn $77,660, per May 2024 BLS data.
- Pharmacy technician training typically takes a few months, while radiologic technologist training is an associate's degree program running roughly 17 to 24 months.
- The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board offers the dominant national pharmacy technician credential (CPhT) through the PTCE exam, while radiology technicians pursue ARRT certification.
- About 41 of 51 U.S. jurisdictions require radiologic technologists to hold a state license, compared with wide state-by-state variation in how pharmacy technicians are regulated.
- BLS projects 6% job growth for pharmacy technicians and 4% for radiologic technologists and technicians from 2024 to 2034, both faster than the 3% average for all occupations.
What Is a Pharmacy Technician?
A pharmacy technician helps pharmacists prepare and dispense prescription medications, manage inventory, and process insurance claims. The role works under a licensed pharmacist's supervision in retail pharmacies (about 52% of jobs), hospitals (17%), general merchandise retailers (9%), and grocery and specialty food stores (9%), per BLS. Pharmacy technicians spend much of the shift on their feet and interact with patients throughout the day.
Day-to-day, a pharmacy technician will:
- Collect prescription information from patients or healthcare providers
- Measure, label, and package medications, including some compounded preparations
- Process payments and submit insurance claims
- Track inventory and reorder supplies
- Route clinical questions to the supervising pharmacist
Hospital-based pharmacy technicians often handle a wider range of medications, including intravenous preparations, and may deliver medications to patient floors during the shift. Dreambound lists pharmacy technician classes across the country.
What Is a Radiology Technician?
A radiology technician (also called a radiologic technologist or radiographer) performs diagnostic imaging exams that physicians use to identify and treat illness or injury. The work includes positioning patients, operating x-ray and computed tomography (CT) equipment, applying radiation safety protocols, and producing usable images on the first attempt. About 60% of radiologic technologists work in hospitals, with offices of physicians, medical and diagnostic laboratories, outpatient care centers, and the federal government rounding out the largest employers, per BLS.
On a typical shift, a radiologic technologist will:
- Review physician orders to determine what to image and how
- Prepare patients, including taking medical history and shielding non-target areas
- Position the patient and equipment to capture the correct view
- Operate digital imaging systems and adjust technical factors as needed
- Maintain detailed patient records and equipment logs
- Wear radiation-monitoring badges and follow ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) safety standards
Radiologic technologists often specialize after gaining experience. Common post-credential specialties include CT, MRI, mammography, interventional radiology, and bone densitometry. Browse radiology technician classes near you on Dreambound to see current options.
Training and Certification Requirements
Pharmacy Technician Training
Pharmacy technician training is the shorter path. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education, with formal duties learned through on-the-job training or a postsecondary pharmacy technology program. Most postsecondary programs award a certificate in a year or less; some lead to an associate degree.
The dominant national credential is the Certified Pharmacy Technician (CPhT) from the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board. The PTCE exam fee is $129, and the exam contains 90 multiple-choice questions covering pharmacology, regulations, sterile and non-sterile compounding, and patient safety. Recertification requires 20 hours of continuing education every two years, including one hour each in pharmacy law and patient safety.
Most state boards of pharmacy require some combination of registration, background check, training program completion, exam passage, or continuing education. Specific requirements vary widely state to state, so the local board of pharmacy is the authoritative source. Some states have no formal training requirement at all; others require formal education or a passing exam score before working as a pharmacy technician.
Radiology Technician Training
Radiology technician training is the longer and more regulated path. BLS lists an associate degree as the typical entry-level education, with most programs running 17 to 24 months and including clinical rotations alongside academic coursework. The curriculum covers anatomy, patient care, radiation physics and protection, image evaluation, and pathology.
The dominant national credential is the Registered Technologist in Radiography, or R.T.(R), from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists. The ARRT primary certification application fee is $225. Candidates must graduate from an ARRT-recognized program, comply with ARRT's ethics standards, and pass the certification exam.
About 41 of the 51 U.S. jurisdictions require a state license to practice radiologic technology, and most accept ARRT certification as the basis for licensure. A handful of states, including Georgia, Alabama, and the District of Columbia, do not require state-level licensure for radiologic technologists. Three states require a separate fluoroscopy permit. California issues its own Certified Radiologic Technologist credential through the state's Radiologic Health Branch even when an applicant holds ARRT certification.
Salary and Job Outlook
Pharmacy Technician Salary
The median annual wage for pharmacy technicians was $43,460 in May 2024, per the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. The lowest 10% of pharmacy technicians earned under $35,100, and the highest 10% earned more than $59,450. Wages run higher in ambulatory healthcare services ($49,920) and hospitals ($49,310) than in pharmacies and drug retailers ($37,900) and grocery and specialty food retailers ($38,810).
BLS projects 6% employment growth for pharmacy technicians from 2024 to 2034, faster than the 3% average across all occupations, with about 49,000 openings projected each year over the decade. The agency attributes the growth to the aging population's prescription needs and to pharmacy technicians taking on additional responsibilities as pharmacists shift toward direct patient care.
Radiology Technician Salary
The median annual wage for radiologic technologists and technicians was $77,660 in May 2024. The lowest 10% earned under $52,360, and the highest 10% earned more than $106,990. Federal government positions paid the highest median ($93,970), followed by outpatient care centers ($81,000), hospitals ($78,560), medical and diagnostic laboratories ($76,770), and offices of physicians ($66,060).
BLS projects 4% employment growth for radiologic technologists and technicians from 2024 to 2034. About 15,400 openings for radiologic and MRI technologists are projected each year, with most replacing workers who retire or transfer to other occupations.
The wage gap between the two roles is about $34,200 per year at the median, with the higher-paid path requiring more training, certification, and regulatory clearance.
If these numbers help you weigh the trade-off, compare pharmacy technician and radiology technician programs side by side on Dreambound by cost, length, and format.
What Dreambound Student Data Shows
According to Dreambound's 2025 Student Choice and Interest Report, both careers rank among the top programs students save while researching training options. Pharmacy technician held the #2 most-saved position in both 2024 and 2025, with 1,615 saves in 2025. Radiology technician entered the top five most-saved programs for the first time in 2025, with 1,126 saves.
The report also shows that healthcare certifications with shorter timelines and lower upfront cost (such as pharmacy technician) see the highest follow-through rates on the platform, with students moving from saving programs to choosing one at a higher rate than students exploring longer-term degree paths.
Where the Roles Overlap and Where They Do Not
Both careers operate inside healthcare, both require patient contact, both depend on protocols and accuracy, and both require continuing education to keep credentials active. That is roughly where the overlap ends.
Pharmacy technicians work in pharmacies, hospitals, and retail settings, primarily interacting with patients about prescriptions, insurance, and pickup logistics. Radiologic technologists work in hospitals, outpatient imaging centers, physician offices, and the federal sector, primarily interacting with patients during a short imaging visit and otherwise focused on positioning, equipment, and image quality. A pharmacy technician spends most of the shift at counters and dispensing systems. A radiologic technologist spends most of the shift positioning patients and operating radiation-producing equipment.
The credentialing bodies do not overlap. PTCB and ARRT measure different competencies, and a pharmacy technician's training does not count toward radiologic technologist licensure, nor does an RT's training count toward pharmacy technician registration. Someone who wants to move from one to the other generally needs to complete the second program from the start.
Which Path Is the Right Fit for You
Pharmacy technician may be the stronger fit if you:
- Want to start working in months rather than years
- Prefer customer-facing work focused on medications, insurance, and pickup
- Are looking for a lower upfront training cost
- Are comfortable with a wage near the $43,460 national median until experience builds
- Live in a state with light pharmacy technician regulation and want a faster path to a paycheck
Radiology technician may be the stronger fit if you:
- Can commit to a 17- to 24-month associate degree program with clinical rotations
- Prefer working with imaging equipment and a more procedural, less retail-facing role
- Are willing to study anatomy, radiation physics, and patient positioning at the depth an associate degree requires
- Want access to higher-paid specializations such as CT, MRI, interventional radiology, or mammography after experience
- Are comfortable with state licensing requirements where applicable
The decision is not about which career is better. It is about which training commitment matches your timeline, budget, and tolerance for regulatory complexity.
Pharmacy Technician and Radiology Technician Programs on Dreambound
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