Special procedures technicians in Arkansas earn significantly less than their national average for their profession.
Special procedures technicians, or radiologic technicians, work closely with radiologists and special procedures supervisors to perform various imaging procedures like x-rays, CT scans and MRIs, in order to diagnose patients. Technicians confer with radiologists during diagnose and work to promote the comfort and safety of patients and to answer any questions they may have. They also record patients' vital signs and medical histories and ensure that all documentation is current. Finally, technicians must be familiar enough with equipment to note and report malfunctions.
Salary Ranges & Starting Salary
In Arkansas, the estimated hourly wage for a special procedures technician in the 10th percentile is $14.85, or approximately $31,000 annually, according to the BLS. Workers in the 25th percentile earn $17.14 per hour, or $35,660 per year, as of May 2011. Technicians in Arkansas' 75th percentile earn an estimated $25.26 per hour, or an annual salary of $52,540. Finally, the highest-earning technicians in the 90th percentile earn approximately $62,000 per year, or an estimated hourly wage of $29.66. The typical starting salary for special procedures technicians is likely within the range of the reported 10th and 25th percentiles, as higher salaries are reserved for workers with greater experience.
Mean and Median Salary
According to the BLS, the mean hourly wage for special procedures technicians in Arkansas is $21.39, or $44,490 per year. This is significantly lower than the national average earnings for the profession of $26.80 per hour, or $55,730 annually -- slightly more than 125 percent of Arkansas' average salary. The median hourly wage in Arkansas is approximately $21.00, or $43,300 per year. The slight difference between mean and median salary data for special procedures technicians suggests that the highest-paid in Arkansas earn significantly higher salaries than their peers, thus increasing the mean data.
Surrounding States
Each of Arkansas' six neighboring states pays special procedures technicians more on average than Arkansas. In Mississippi and Oklahoma, workers earn mean annual salaries of more than $45,000. Additionally, Louisiana at $48,470 per year, Tennessee at $49,060 and Missouri at $49,080 pay special procedures technicians even more, according to the BLS. As of May 2011, the highest-paying state in the area is Texas, whose mean annual salary is $53,610 -- more than 120 percent of the typical earnings for an Arkansas technician.
Metropolitan Regions
According to the BLS, the highest-paying area in Arkansas for special procedures technicians -- by a large margin -- is the Memphis metropolitan area in the eastern part of the state. Workers there earn a mean annual salary of $52,500, as of May 2011. Other high-paying regions for technicians include the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metropolitan division at $47,710 per year, the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metropolitan division at $46,730 along the Missouri border, the Texarkana area near Texas at $45,290 and the central Arkansas non-metropolitan area at $43,180.
Tags: procedures technicians, special procedures, hourly wage, annual salary, mean annual, more than, percentile earn
