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Radiologic Technologists and Technicians

Take x-rays and CAT scans or administer nonradioactive materials into patient's bloodstream for diagnostic or research purposes. Includes radiologic technologists and technicians who specialize in other scanning modalities.

230,490 people do this job in the US. $80,110 a year.

now
27%

of the working time. Estimate.

Kinds of work
  • 34%
  • 0%
  • 66%
0%

Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.

Half the desk work within reach
Already

On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.

Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030

0%25%50%75%100%2027202820292030NowDesk work: 34% of the time
Chosen to Ceiling: the share
DateNow
NowEnd of 2030

What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .

At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.

How far this has come

With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 7%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 26%. Today's estimate: 27%.

0%10%20%30%40%2023202420252026GPT-4, March 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4 Turbo (Nov 2023), November 2023: 0% within reachGPT-4o, May 2024: 0% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (June 2024), June 2024: 0% within reacho1-preview, September 2024: 1% within reachClaude 3.5 Sonnet (Oct 2024), October 2024: 1% within reacho1, December 2024: 3% within reachClaude 3.7 Sonnet, February 2025: 7% within reacho3, April 2025: 17% within reachGPT-5, August 2025: 19% within reachGemini 3 Pro, November 2025: 21% within reachClaude Opus 4.5, November 2025: 21% within reachGPT-5.2, December 2025: 23% within reachClaude Opus 4.6, February 2026: 23% within reachClaude Mythos Preview (early), April 2026: 26% within reachToday (estimate), September 2026: 27% within reach
Each step is a new best model measured by METR, four in five; the dashed end is today's estimate. Point at a dot for the model.

A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.

The tasks

Sorted by . 30 tasks from .

TaskKind
Perform supervisory duties, such as developing departmental operating budget, coordinating purchases of supplies or equipment, or preparing work schedules.Done daily by most who do it.9%5 h1.7 h to 1.7 work days17%Half by Apr 2027
Operate mobile x-ray equipment in operating room, emergency room, or at patient's bedside.Done hourly or more by most who do it.7%50 min25 min to 1.7 hStays with people
Perform procedures, such as linear tomography, mammography, sonograms, joint and cyst aspirations, routine contrast studies, routine fluoroscopy, or examinations of the head, trunk, or extremities under supervision of physician.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 7%33 min13 min to 50 minStays with people
Provide assistance to physicians or other technologists in the performance of more complex procedures.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 6%33 min13 min to 1.3 hStays with people
Operate or oversee operation of radiologic or magnetic imaging equipment to produce images of the body for diagnostic purposes.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 6%25 min8 min to 38 minStays with people
Operate fluoroscope to aid physician to view and guide wire or catheter through blood vessels to area of interest.Done daily by most who do it. 5%50 min17 min to 1.3 hStays with people
Perform general administrative tasks, such as answering phones, scheduling patient appointments, or pulling and filing films.Done daily by most who do it. 5%25 min8 min to 50 minStays with people
Record, process, and maintain patient data or treatment records and prepare reports.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 4%13 min4 min to 25 min100%Half by now
Take thorough and accurate patient medical histories.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task.4%13 min4 min to 21 min100%Half by now
Set up examination rooms, ensuring that all necessary equipment is ready.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 4%13 min4 min to 21 minStays with people
Prepare contrast material, radiopharmaceuticals, or anesthetic or antispasmodic drugs under the direction of a radiologist.Done several times a day by most who do it. 3%13 min4 min to 25 minStays with people
Monitor patients' conditions and reactions, reporting abnormal signs to physician.Done hourly or more by most who do it. 3%13 min4 min to 38 minStays with people

Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.

Jobs that share skills with this one

From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.

Where this job works

The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).

Where the most of these jobs are

The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).