Radiologic Technology Program Celebrates 50th Anniversary, Brings Alums Back to Windward Campus to Recognize Half-Century Mark
Program has witnessed evolution of technology; Radiologic Technology majors’ hiring rate consistently hits 100% mark, many signed-on before graduation
Article by Melinda Eddleman
Del Mar College’s (DMC) Radiologic Technology Program has trained technologists for hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices for the past 50 years, filling the need for these healthcare professionals around the Coastal Bend since June 3, 1974. The first student cohort stepped foot into the classroom with only one radiographic system in the Flato Building on what is now called the Windward Campus a half-century ago; and since then, administrators estimate more than 1,000 Radiologic Technology majors have completed the program to work in the field.
The Radiologic Technology Program has been quite successful with supplying licensed radiographers to our community, both within and out of the Coastal Bend area.“Over the last 50 years, students have acquired their educational training through our program, impacting the field and the lives of patients across the region.
The College and program celebrated its 50th Anniversary on June 5 with an open house that featured demonstrations upon request, facility tours and a display of vintage items used to strain students over five decades, along with usual food are fit for marking the occasion. The event also brought many Radiologic Technology alumni back together, some who had not seen their classmates since graduation.
Among the speakers to kick-off the open house were Radiologic Technology majors Bryleigh Villarreal and Aaron Espinoza, who both will graduate from the program as part of the Class of 2025.
“I became interested in radiology a short time ago but immediately knew that this was the path I wanted to take; and luckily, I knew a few people who have worked in the field and told me about the job and the program,” Villarreal said. “So, when I received my acceptance into the program, I was beyond excited.”
During her first year, Villarreal has been introduced to several modalities or branches of radiology that have only added to her excitement and curiosity about the field she’s chosen. She plans to explore more about interventional radiology and working in a catheterization laboratory or “Cath Lab” as part of her training over the next year.
Espinoza said that he chose radiology because he wants to make a difference in healthcare and was convinced by a friend already working as a Rad Tech who spoke passionately about his work and its impact on people’s lives.
“That sparked something inside of me, and I was drawn to the idea of using advanced technology to diagnose and provide vital information to help patients on their journey to better health,” he said.
First housed with the Allied Health Department, the Radiologic Technology Program is now with the Dental and Imaging Technology Department and currently has 17 sophomore and 25 freshmen students enrolled.
The Radiologic Technology Program began and now resides on the original campus where students first took classes. But in 1984, it moved to more modern accommodations when the new Dr. Clotilde P. Garcia Health Sciences Building opened on what is now called Heritage Campus. The facility was dedicated to the first woman to serve on the Del Mar College Board of Regents (1960 to 1981) and honored her commitment to community health care. That facility housed 11 DMC Health Sciences programs and gave the Radiologic Technology Program the opportunity to expand to two radiographic systems, allowing for more students to receive hands-on training.
The Radiologic Technology Program then moved in 2006 to its current location on the first floor of Building #3 of the Health Sciences Complex after DMC completed its $108 million capital improvements program that Del Mar College District tax payers passed in 2003.
Patricia Paris, who started her journey in 1965 as a radiographer, taught with the College’s program after it started and chaired the Allied Health Department before retiring in 2006. She was even Dr. Wren’s professor during the current Program Director’s time at the College as a student.
The program’s laboratory is actually named after Paris; and as a special guest speaker during the event, Paris noted, “We didn’t have digital imaging, so the processes were handled manually that are no longer performed anymore.”
Dr. Wren also noted that the overall training experience has evolved as the medical imaging field has changed significantly over the years. “The technology has advanced from analog-type radiographic systems that created images on film to the computerized era with even more sophisticated digital imaging systems,” she said. “The program has six fully digital, state- of –the- art MXR/Konica Minolta radiographic systems, along with various radiographic phantoms for our students to acquire the skills necessary to practice prior to working on real patients within the clinical setting.
This form of capturing images has truly made the use of X-ray generation safer and more apt to capture medical pathology for more accurate diagnosis and prognosis in patient care. Having the six radiographic systems facilitates more practice time so that our students acquire solid experienced-based skills and knowledge as part of their training.
The proof is demonstrated by the Radiologic Technology Program’s outstanding history with students’ pass rates on their first attempt taking the American Registry of Radiologic Technology (ARRT) certification examination, which is an unrestricted state licensing examination. Pass rates over the past ten years have exceeded 92%, some as high as 100%, beating the established 75% benchmark set by the program’s accrediting agency––the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology.
Job placement among the program’s graduates has been 100% over the past ten years, too.
“Each year, most students obtain jobs before graduation, in part, because the program’s clinical-affiliated sites tend to wait to fill positions until our Radiologic Technology majors graduate,” noted Dr. Wren. “Recently, some partners have started hiring our students as assistants or transporters prior to graduation as a means to hire them full-time after they complete the program and pass their ARRT exam, so we’re very grateful for their eagerness to employ our students.”
The program collaborates with several healthcare industry partners to provide students with 12 sites for required clinical training and experience, including CHRISTUS Spohn Hospitals South and Shoreline; Driscoll Children’s Hospital; Hospital Corporation of America’s Bay Area and Doctor’s Regional Hospitals, Northshore ER in Portland and Northwest ER in Calallen; Radiology & Imaging; and Radiology Associates at Six Points, on the southside off Staples St. and in Calallen and Portland.
The average salary in the Coastal Bend for radiologic technologists ranges from $20 to $30 per hour right out of school depending on the employer and the modality individuals are hired to perform. Across the country, median salaries in 2023 were $73,000 to $76,000 based on employers and modalities, and traveling technologists could earn up to $100,000 within six months if willing to travel and work all over the country.
The outlook for the field is promising, too. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics anticipates a six percent growth rate now through 2032 with approximately 15,700 job openings available in the future as current technologists retire and move into other areas.
“I’m extremely proud to say that my entire faculty and I graduated from this very program which has allowed us to grow and prosper each in our own way,’ Dr. Wren said, adding: “Having graduated from this program some 33 years ago, I’ve witnessed amazing transformation within our world of radiography as technology has rapidly evolved and revolutionized the practice.”
Anyone interested in learning more about the field and the DMC Radiologic Technology Program can go online at www.delmar.edu/degrees/radiologic-technology/index.html or contact the Dental and Imaging Technology Department at 361-698-2858.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.
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