Pictured | Kayla Butera | Radiography | Tavares, Florida (hometown)

Bachelor of Science in Medical Imaging Technology

Program Description

Mission Statement

The mission of the Medical Imaging Technology Program is to provide our students with a comprehensive education in medical imaging technology. The student will be provided with a broad experience of medical imaging technology to be able to graduate clinically competent, be able to effectively communicate, demonstrate critical thinking skills, and display professional behaviors. Upon graduation from the program, the students will have obtained the education requirements needed for the appropriate national professional certification examination to practice medical imaging in the regionally served community.

Student Population Served

• Students who enter the Radiography Program (preradiography) with the goal of obtaining a bachelor’s degree with advanced clinical professional medical imaging instruction beyond radiography within an intended field of study
• Students currently enrolled in an associate degree program
• Currently practicing registered radiographers R.T.(R)s who want to obtain a bachelor’s degree for career advancement.

Program Goals

1. The student will graduate clinically competent.
2. The student will be able to effectively communicate.
3. The student will display critical thinking skills.
4. The student will exhibit professional behaviors.

Objectives and Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the BSMIT Program, graduates technologists will:

• demonstrate critical for problem-solving, rational inquiry and intellectual curiosity
• effectively communicate and is capable of relaying accurate information to a healthcare team
• practice ethical behavior in the clinical setting
• display cultural competence to a variety of individuals encountered in the health care setting
• explain the basic imaging principles for a variety of imaging modalities.
• compare and contrast the various modalities in terms of radiation sources, uses, and safety
• discuss the history of the medical imaging profession
• analyze new uses and new procedures in medical imaging
• identify anatomical structures of the head, thorax, abdomen and extremities
• describe relationships of structures to one another
• discuss the difference appearance of anatomy from one modality to another
• explain the different disease states that are seen or treated within the field of radiology
• determine which radiologic procedures are used in the diagnosis and treatment of various disease states
• analyze how physicians use patient data and images for use in patient case management

Program Planning

All provisions of this publication are in effect as soon as a student begins the Bachelor of Science in Medical Imaging Technology (BSMIT) Program. Students are subject to policy and curriculum changes as they occur. Any change made during progression toward the degree may result in the revision of degree requirements.

Admission Requirements

Students may apply for admission into the Bachelor of Science in Medical Imaging Technology Program at any time after qualifying for formal admission to IU South Bend. Upon acceptance to the program, all students classified as pre-BSMIT may enroll in the general-education coursework required for the bachelor’s degree. The courses may be taken at any Indiana University campus or may be accepted as transfer credit hours from other accredited institutions; contact the program advisor for specific information. (Students also have the option of taking general-education coursework leading to the BSMIT degree while pursuing their associate degree.)

Students who received an associate degree from an accredited program will be considered transfer students for the purpose of fulfilling the campuswide general education requirements at IU South Bend. Meeting the minimum criteria listed qualifies applicants for continuation of the admission process. It does not guarantee a student admission into the Clinical/Professional Program.

• Apply for and be granted admission to IU South Bend.
• Meet with program faculty if pursuing a clinical practicum.
• Complete an accredited Associate of Science in Radiography or similar degree and submit an official transcript to the IU South Bend admissions office for a transfer credit audit.
• Submission of evidence of certification radiography (ARRT), nuclear medicine (ARRT or NMTCB), sonography (ARRT or ARDMS), or radiation therapy (ARRT). All certification must be in good standing.
• All students must have earned a minimum grade of C for the completed general-education courses required for admission to the degree without more than one repeat in any course including remedial and prerequisite course work.
• Must have a minimum CGPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for all coursework completed.
• Must have a minimum 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale for all entry-level clinical professional training.

Specific Quantitative Admission Criteria for the BSMIT Clinical Professional Program

Students must attain a minimum CGPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for all course work completed. For all entry level clinical training (didactic and clinical experience practicum) a student is required to maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale for the entire program.

Must have a minimum 2.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale for all entry-level clinical professional training.

Certifications and Licensure

Before beginning the BSMIT, program students must be registered in radiography (ARRT), nuclear medicine (ARRT or NMTCB), sonography (ARRT or ARDMS), or radiation therapy (ARRT). 

Clinical Regulations and Policies

Clinical field experience are taught off campus which include Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph Health System in Mishawaka and Plymouth, Elkhart General Hospital, Goshen Health, Kosciusko Community Hospital, and the MRI Center.

All students should be able to meet the technical standards for the BSMIT program. A drug screen and clinical background check must be completed before entering the program.

The ARRT requires a specific number of repetitions across all selected procedure categories to be eligible to sit for the national registry exam. The number of repetitions is attainable over the course of designated clinical semesters; however some students may not be able to complete all the required repetitions to apply for the registry. It will therefore be the responsibility of the student to acquire all necessary repetitions on his or her own time. Post-graduation repetitions will require the signature of a registered technologist or radiologist for verification. It will be the responsibility of the student to ensure that proper documentation is attained for these repetitions.

Criminal History Background Checks (BSMIT)

Criminal history background checks are required of all medical imaging clinical students in compliance with federal and state regulations for individuals in clinical settings and working with patients and individuals who are vulnerable or minors. Licensure is also contingent upon the absence of most felony and some misdemeanor charges.

Clinical agencies require the IU South Bend Medical Imaging Program to report the findings of a positive criminal background check. The agency has the right to refuse the placement of a student at that agency and this may impair progress through the program. (Positive reports will be reviewed by the program director and discussed with the student about implications for progression in the program and credential licensure as well as any impact on clinical placements.) All communications from the IU South Bend Medical Imaging Program to the agency are treated as confidential and any restrictions or changes in clinical placements will be directly communicated to the student by the program director.

Clinical Experience Rotations

A student may be prohibited from participation in Clinical Experience coursework if they have been convicted of certain crimes. These crimes may include, but are not limited to: rape, criminal deviate conduct; exploitation of an endangered child and/or adult; failure to report battery, neglect, or exploitation of an endangered child and/or adult; murder; voluntary manslaughter; and Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (OWI)

A conviction of any of the above crimes at any time during an individual’s life may prohibit them from entering clinical rotations. In addition, if an individual was convicted of involuntary manslaughter; felony battery; a felony offense relating to a controlled substance; or theft within five (5) years before the individual’s start of clinical rotations, the individual may not be able to enter clinical rotations.

Students are responsible for applying for the criminal history background check and all fees associated with the check upon their initial application for the clinical program.

Drug Policy

All students admitted to the BSMIT Clinical/Professional Program will be required to have a drug screen prior to attending clinical experience and it may be required on demand under certain situations in the clinical site. A positive drug screen may result in removal from the clinical site and possible dismissal from the program.

Transfer Students

Transfer Credit Policy

Due to the competitive nature of application to our clinical program, a student must weigh the benefits of using transfer credit courses versus retaking the required general education course work within the IU system. For students seeking to use transfer credits from within the IU System and/or outside institutions to meet the required general education course work for the Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Imaging Technology (BSMIT), the following policy applies:

Minimum 2.0 cumulative grade point average (CGPA) | Students must have a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale for all work completed to be considered for admittance into the pre-medical imaging technology program.

If a student is seeking to use transfer credits (per approval by the Indiana University South Bend Radiography/Medical Imaging Department) from an outside institution(s) to meet the general education course requirements for the BSMIT degree and that institution’s CGPA does not meet the minimum 2.0 criterion, the student will be deemed a “probationary provisional student,” and the following requirement will be applied at the time of their program application and must be maintained (transfer grades must meet the minimum IU standard of C).

Probationary Provisional Student | To be considered a fully qualified pre-medical imaging technology admit, the student must demonstrate their ability to achieve academic success by completing a minimum nine credit hours of required general education course work at IU South Bend with a minimum CGPA of 2.0 or higher. To meet the IU South Bend Vera Z. Dwyer College of Health Sciences and IU academic educational standards, all grades must be a minimum of C. This is applied at the time of program application and must be maintained.

Intercampus Transfer

Students wishing to transfer between campuses should check for the process on the campus to which they are transferring. To transfer to the IU South Bend campus, the student must submit an intercampus transfer request through the registrar’s office. Intercampus transfer requests are evaluated individually by the program advisor or program director on the basis of the student’s academic record in general-education coursework.

One Repeat Policy

The IU South Bend Radiography and Medical Imaging Technology Programs mandate that all pre- and clinical/professional students achieve a minimum grade of C (P/Pass or S/Satisfactory) in any course a student may be required to take based upon their admittance status to the IU South Bend campus, placement exam scores, prerequisites, and general education course work. Students receiving a deficit grade (C- or below or U/UN/Unsatisfactory) in their first attempt of a required course must earn a minimum grade of C (P/Pass or S/Satisfactory) for their second completed attempt. Students who do not successfully complete a minimum grade of C (P/Pass or S/Satisfactory) in their second attempt for the course are ineligible to continue in the IU South Bend Radiography/Medical Imaging Technology Programs. This is applied at the time of program application and must be maintained. (Transfer grades must meet the minimum IU standard of C).

Reinstatement and Withdrawals

Students who withdraw from the BSMIT Program must meet with program faculty for an exit meeting within seven days of the withdrawal. Students are required to turn-in all ID badges, agency parking permits and any and all equipment that belongs to the program and its clinical affiliates.

Progression and Graduation Policies

In order to graduate, the student must:

• receive a passing grade of C or above in all didactic and clinical courses
• pay all fees
• have all Clinical Experience time completed
• not be on academic or clinical probation
• complete all required clinical rotations
• complete all required clinical objectives for each clinical rotation
• fulfill all clinical competency requirements of the BSMIT Program in accordance with established professional standards

Satisfactory completion of the general education, didactic, and clinical experience course work. All coursework must be completed in compliance with the academic and professional policies of the program and school.

Photo credit | Teresa Sheppard