This examination has four content categories (domains) which were defined in a similarly way as the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT®) job task analysis determined. The exam content is distributed according to the percentages for each category. There are 70 exam questions in total.
- Patient care (16%) 11 questions
- Imaging procedures (30%) 21 questions
- Data acquisition and processing (30%) 21 questions
- Physical principles of image formation (24%) 17 questions
Patient care
Assess and manage patient care safety through clear communication, infection control, monitoring and screening
Enabling sub-objectives within the competency:
I. Explain legal and ethical principles
A. Determine confirmation of exam requisition
1. verification of patient identification
2. comparison of request to clinical indications
B. Explain legal issues
1. common terminology (e.g., negligence, malpractice)
2. legal doctrines
C. Explain patient’s rights
1. informed consent (written, oral, implied)
2. confidentiality
3. Patient’s Bill of Rights (e.g., privacy, access to information, health care proxy, research participation)
II. Explain MRI screening and safety
A. Describe screening
1. biomedical implants (e.g., pacemakers, clips)
2. ferrous foreign bodies
3. medical conditions (e.g., renal
function, pregnancy)
4. prior diagnostic or surgical procedures
B. Identify equipment safety
1. placement of conductors (e.g., ECG leads, coils, cables)
2. cryogen safety
3. ancillary equipment in proximity
4. emergency procedures (e.g., quench, fire)
C. Describe environment
1. climate control (temperature, humidity)
2. gauss lines
3. magnetic shielding
4. RF shielding
5. warning signs
D. Recognize biological considerations
1. RF Field
a. specific absorption rate (SAR)
b. biological effects
2. Static and Gradient Magnetic Fields
a. biological effects
3. Acoustic Noise
III. Monitor and assess patient care, and management
A. Distinguish routine monitoring
1. vital signs
2. physical signs and symptoms
3. sedated patients
4. claustrophobic patients
B. Identify emergency response
1. reactions to contrast
2. other allergic reactions (e.g., latex)
3. cardiac/respiratory arrest (CPR)
4. physical injury, trauma, or RF burn
5. other medical disorders (e.g., seizures,
diabetic reactions)
6. life-threatening situations (e.g., quench, projectiles)
C. Identify patient transfer and body mechanics
D. Describe assisting patients with medical equipment
1. implantable devices (e.g., infusion catheters, pumps, pacemakers, others)
2. oxygen delivery systems
3. other (e.g., nasogastric tubes, urinary catheters)
IV. Recognize importance of interpersonal communications
A. Identify modes of communication
1. verbal, written
2. nonverbal (e.g., eye contact, touching)
B. Recognize challenges in communication
1. patient characteristics (e.g., cultural factors, physical or emotional status)
2. strategies to improve understanding
C. Discuss patient education
1. explanation of procedure (e.g., risks, benefits)
2. follow-up instructions
3. referral to other services
D. Identify medical terminology
V. Describe infection control
A. Recognize terminology and basic concepts
1. types of asepsis
2. sterile technique
3. pathogens (e.g., fomites, vehicles, vectors)
4. nosocomial infections
B. Describe cycle of infection
1. pathogen
2. source or reservoir of infection
3. susceptible host
4. method of transmission (contact, droplet, airborne, common vehicle, vector borne)
C. Recognize standard precautions (general patient contact)
1. handwashing
2. gloves, gowns
3. masks
4. medical asepsis / disinfection
D. Identify additional or transmission-based precautions (e.g., hepatitis B, HIV, tuberculosis)
1. airborne (e.g., negative ventilation)
2. droplet (e.g., particulate mask)
3. contact (e.g., gloves, gown)
E. Explain disposal of contaminated materials
1. linens
2. needles
3. patient supplies
Imaging procedures
Differentiate imaging procedures for body parts
Enabling sub-objectives within the competency:
1. Identify head & neck procedures
a. brain
b. internal auditory canal
c. pituitary
d. orbit
e. soft tissue neck (e.g., parotids, nasopharynx, etc.)
f. angiography
g. spectroscopy
h. fMRI
2. Identify spine procedures
a. cervical
b. thoracic
c. lumbo-sacral
3. Identify thorax procedures
a. brachial plexus
b. cardiac
c. breast
d. mediastinum
e. angiography
4. Identify abdomen procedures
a. liver, spleen, pancreas
b. kidneys, adrenals
c. peritoneum, retroperitoneum
d. biliary
e. angiography
5. Identify pelvis procedures
a. bladder
b. rectum
c. ovary
d. uterus/cervix
e. vagina
f. prostate
g. testes
h. angiography (iliac and run-off)
6. Identify musculoskeletal procedures
a. temporomandibular joint
b. shoulder
c. elbow
d. wrist
e. hand
f. hip
g. ankle
h. knee
i. foot
j. long bones
k. arthrography
l. angiography
Data acquisition and processing
Distinguish between data acquisition characteristics and processing procedures
Enabling sub-objectives within the competency:
1. Recognize pulse sequences
a. Spin Echo
1. conventional spin echo
2. fast spin echo (FSE)
b. Inversion recovery
1. STIR
2. FLAIR
c. Gradient Recall Echo (GRE)
1. conventional gradient echo
2. fast gradient echo
d. Echo Planar Imaging (EPI)
e. Calibration scans
1. filtering
2. parallel imaging
2. Identify contrast data manipulations
a. k-space Mapping & Filling
b. Fourier Transformation
c. Post Processing
1. Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP)
2. Multiplanar Reconstruction Techniques (MPR)
3. subtraction
4. volume rendering
d. Cardiac Analysis
3. Identify special procedures
a. MRA / MRV
1. flow dynamics
2. time-of-flight
3. phase contrast
4. contrast enhanced
5. fluoro-triggering
6. timing bolus
7. automatic bolus detection (e.g., smart prep, care bolus)
b. Functional techniques
1. diffusion
2. perfusion
3. spectroscopy
4. fMRI
c. Dynamic Imaging
4. Recognize sequence parameters & options
a. Imaging Parameters
1. TR
2. TE
3. TI
4. number of signal averages (NSA)
5. flip angle (Ernst angle)
6. FOV
7. matrix
8. number of slices
9. slice thickness & gap
10. phase & frequency
11. echo train length
12. effective TE
b. Imaging options (16)
1. 2-D/3-D
2. bandwidth
3. slice order
4. saturation pulse
5. gradient moment nulling
6. suppression techniques (e.g., fat, water, etc.)
7. selective excitation
8. physiologic gating & triggering
9. in-phase/out-of-phase
10. rectangular FOV
11. anti-aliasing
12. parallel imaging
Physical principles of image formation
Recognize physical principles of image formation for high quality image creation and reduction of artifacts
Enabling sub-objectives within the competency:
1. Distinguish instrumentation
a. Electromagnetism
1. Faraday's law
2. types of magnets (superconductive, permanent, resistive)
3. magnetic field strength
b. Radiofrequency system
1. coil configuration
2. transmit & receive coils
3. transmit & receive bandwidth
4. pulse profile
5. phased array
c. Gradient system
1. coil configuration
2. slew rate
3. rise time
4. duty cycle
2. Recognize fundamentals
a. Nuclear Magnetism
1. Larmor equation
2. precession
3. gyromagnetic ratio
4. resonance
5. RF pulse
6. equilibrium magnetization
7. energy state transitions
8. phase coherence
9. free induction decay (FID)
b. Tissue characteristics
1. T1 relaxation
2. T2 relaxation
3. T2* (susceptibility)
4. proton (spin) density
5. flow
6. diffusion
7. perfusion
c. Spatial localization
1. vectors
2. X, Y, Z coordinate system
3. physical & logical gradient
4. slice select gradient
5. phase-encoding gradient
6. frequency (readout) gradient
7. k-space (raw data)
3. Determine artifacts
a. Cause & Appearance of Artifacts
1. aliasing
2. Gibbs, truncation
3. chemical shift
4. magnetic susceptibility
5. radiofrequency
6. motion & flow
7. partial volume averaging
8. crosstalk
b. Compensation for artifacts
4. Differentiate quality control procedures
a. Slice thickness
b. Spatial resolution
c. Contrast resolution
d. Signal to noise
e. Center frequency
f. Transmit gain
g. Geometric accuracy
h. Equipment inspection (e.g., coils, cables, and door seals)