Qualifications
To be considered for registration as a medical radiation technologist in any of the specified scopes of practice, you must hold a qualification for that particular scope as prescribed by the Board or approved by the Board as being substantially equivalent to the prescribed qualifications.
In addition to having an approved qualification you may also be required to demonstrate that you have adequate experience in the relevant scope of practice.
NEW ZEALAND QUALIFICATIONS PRESCRIBED BY THE BOARD
Diagnostic Imaging General Technologist:
The Board has prescribed three New Zealand undergraduate qualifications for a person to be eligible for registration in the scope of practice of Diagnostic Imaging General Technologist:
Bachelor of Medical Imaging issued by the Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology (CPIT).
Bachelor of Applied Science (Medical Imaging Technology) issued by the Universal College of Learning (UCOL).
Bachelor of Health Science (Medical Imaging) issued by the Unitec Institute of Technology.
Radiation Therapist:
The Board has prescribed one New Zealand undergraduate qualification for a person to be eligible for registration in the scope of practice of Radiation Therapist:
Bachelor of Health Science (Medical Radiation Therapy) issued by the University of Otago.
Sonographer:
The Board has prescribed one New Zealand postgraduate qualification for a person to be eligible for registration in the scope of practice of Sonographer:
Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science (Ultrasound) issued by the Unitec Institute of Technology.
Magnetic Resonance Technologist:
The Board has prescribed one New Zealand postgraduate qualification for a person to be eligible for registration in the scope of practice of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist:
Postgraduate Diploma in Health Science (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) issued by the Unitec Institute of Technology.
QUALIFICATIONS APPROVED AS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIVALENT (to the Prescribed Qualifications)
Nuclear Medicine Technologist:
The Board has approved two Australian nuclear medicine qualifications as being substantially equivalent to the required competencies for registration in the scope of practice of nuclear medicine.
The Bachelor of Medical Radiation Science (Nuclear Medicine) issued by the University of Newcastle. While this qualification programme is no longer offered, practitioners who hold this qualification continue to be eligible for registration with the Board.
The Master of Radiation Science (Nuclear Medicine) is a postgraduate qualification programme issued by Monash University.
Other "Substantially Equivalent" Qualifications
The Board has approved a number of non-New Zealand qualifications as being substantially equivalent to the prescribed qualifications as specified above. See link at bottom of this page to download a copy of the list of non-New Zealand qualifications approved as being substantially equivalent.
To be approved a "substantially equivalent" status to enable eligibility for registration with the Board, a qualification programme must be of at least three years (fulltime equivalent) duration and contain a clinical assessment component.
The Board will only approve qualifications as being substantially equivalent to the prescribed undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications providing they have undergone an assessment by a Board-approved qualifications assessor and meet the required standards.
Please Note: The list of substantially equivalent qualifications is not static and continued inclusion on this list for a particular qualification cannot be guaranteed. The Board regularly reviews non-New Zealand qualifications that it has previously approved as being substantially equivalent to the prescribed qualification for each scope of practice to ensure they continue to meet the competency requirements for registration in the profession of medical radiation technology. Should a subsequent assessment of a qualification previously approved as being substantially equivalent find that the qualification no longer meets the required entry-level competency criteria for registration in the relevant scope of practice, that qualification will be removed from the "approved" list.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE
If you are applying for registration in Nuclear Medicine, Ultrasound, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, in addition to holding a relevant postgraduate qualification, you must also be able to provide evidence that you have a minimum of 3360 hours of clinical experience in the relevant scope of practice you are applying for registration in.
