According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) field is growing faster than any other occupation, due in part to its rapid expansion into diagnostic and research medicine. An innovative, specialized training program at WVU Hospitals helps meet the increasing demand for skilled MRI technologists.

The MRI Education Program, a 12-month, hospital-based, certificate program that trains students through a combination of lecture-based coursework and hands-on clinical experiences, is one of several Imaging Science Education Programs offered at WVU Hospitals.

The program is the only one in the state accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT). The program’s graduates are eligible to sit for the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) national board exam to become a credentialed magnetic resonance technologist.

MRI is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that uses a strong magnetic field and pulsating radio waves to create detailed images of the body’s internal structures without ionizing radiation. Because MRI excels at visualizing soft tissues like the brain, muscles, organs and bones, it has quickly become a powerful diagnostic and research tool for a wide range of conditions, including cancer, neurological disorders and soft-tissue injuries.

Brad Holben, director of the WVU Hospitals MRI Education Program since its inception in 2009, has witnessed the dynamic growth of this field within the program and throughout WVU Medicine.

“I think we had maybe 10 or 12 MRI technologists at the time we started the program, and now we have more than 40,” Holben said. “We also went from having four MRI scanners to nine and have plans to add even more in the future.”

Holben said that while some may think of an MRI technologist as just a “technician” or “machine operator,” the job’s scope is complex.

In addition to learning how to manage and use technologically advanced equipment, students are trained in safety, physics and patient care and comfort. Holben noted that the program teaches students to be “compassionate healthcare providers to patients while creating a safe environment for them.”

“One of the things that I’m most proud of is seeing our students graduate and become staff MRI technologists here in Morgantown and throughout the System,” he said.

Clinical rotations take place throughout the main campus at WVU Medicine J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, including at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute and WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s, as well as one-to-two rotations per semester at WVU Medicine Fairmont Medical Center.

Jenna Hupps, a current student in the program, said the detail in images produced by MRI, as compared to other modalities, attracted her attention the most.

“MRI is a great field to work in,” Hupps said. “With the evolution of science, new procedures are being created to help patients with certain neurological disorders, and it is a great feeling to see how this science can help.”

“You get so much more hands-on experience through clinical hours than compared to other programs,” Casey Wilson, a program graduate and MRI technologist at Ruby Memorial Hospital, said. “Being at a Level 1 trauma hospital gives you the opportunity to see and participate in exams that you would likely not see at other facilities.”

Wilson highly recommended all the imaging science programs, especially the MRI program.

“Thanks to the amazing program provided by WVU Medicine, I am working in a rewarding field that I love,” she said.

Up to six students are accepted into the program each year. Applicants must have an associate’s degree, be a graduate or pending graduate from a JRCERT-accredited radiography program and possess the ARRT credential in radiography before entering the program.

Applications for the next class are due Feb. 1, and the new cohort will begin in July.

To learn more or to apply, visit WVUMedicine.org/RadTech/Magnetic-Resonance-Imaging.