A bill has been introduced in the North Carolina Legislature to require a license for personnel who perform medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures.
The bill, SB 390, would require the completion of a series of educational requirements and the passing of a certification exam before performing these studies, according to the North Carolina Society of Radiologic Technologists. The bill is currently awaiting a hearing in the Senate Committee on Health Care.
The licensing standards would apply to the radiologic technology practice areas of radiography, radiation therapy, nuclear medicine, cardiovascular-invasive procedures, MRI, and limited-scope radiography, according to the society.
If the bill is enacted, the state will create the North Carolina Radiologic Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board of Examiners, which will oversee licensing standards for personnel who perform medical imaging and radiation therapy procedures. The board will include six licensed medical imaging professionals, one licensed radiologist, one licensed medical physicist, one licensed physician, one full-time radiologic science educator, and one public member.
North Carolina is currently one of only five states in the U.S. with no licensure or regulatory laws for radiologic technologists. The new bill was introduced by Sen. Stan Bingham and Sen. Wesley Meredith.
