Radiology credentials follow a specific order: highest earned degree first, then licensure, then national certifications. Getting this right matters on your name badge, email signature, resume, and any official reports you sign. The rules vary slightly depending on whether you’re a radiologic technologist, a radiologist assistant, or a radiology nurse, but the underlying framework is the same.
The Standard Order for Any Credential String
Across healthcare professions, the accepted sequence for listing credentials after your name is:
- Highest earned degree (B.S., M.S., M.D., Ph.D.)
- Licensure (state-issued licenses like RN or state radiologic technologist licenses)
- State designations or requirements
- National certifications (ARRT, CRN, and similar)
- Awards and honors
Each credential is separated by a comma. So a radiologic technologist with a bachelor’s degree and ARRT certification in radiography would write: Jane Smith, B.S., R.T.(R)(ARRT). The degree comes first because it represents your highest academic achievement, followed by your professional registration.
ARRT Credential Formatting Rules
The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists has specific formatting requirements that trip people up. For a single discipline like radiography, your credentials read: Your Name, R.T.(R)(ARRT). For multiple disciplines, you list each modality abbreviation in parentheses, typically in the order you earned them, with (ARRT) at the very end: Your Name, R.T.(R)(CT)(MR)(ARRT).
Three rules to remember. First, only use periods after R.T. and R.R.A. (for Registered Radiologist Assistants). Don’t sprinkle periods anywhere else in the string. Second, don’t add extra spaces between the parenthetical abbreviations. The modality codes should run together with no gaps: (R)(CT)(MR), not (R) (CT) (MR). Third, always close the string with (ARRT). Leaving it off is a common mistake, but it identifies the certifying body and distinguishes your registration from non-ARRT credentials.
Common Modality Abbreviations
The letters inside the parentheses correspond to your certified disciplines. (R) is radiography, (CT) is computed tomography, (MR) is magnetic resonance imaging, (M) is mammography, (BD) is bone densitometry, (CI) is cardiac interventional radiography, (VI) is vascular interventional radiography, (S) is sonography, and (N) is nuclear medicine technology. If you hold certifications in three modalities, all three appear in your string before (ARRT).
Radiologist Assistants
If you’re a Registered Radiologist Assistant certified through ARRT, your base credential is R.R.A. rather than R.T. This is one of only two abbreviations in the ARRT system that uses periods throughout. A typical credential line might look like: Your Name, M.S., R.R.A.(ARRT), assuming you hold the master’s degree that most RA programs require. If you also hold R.T. credentials from earlier in your career, you can include both, with R.R.A. reflecting your current advanced practice role.
State License Abbreviations
Some states issue their own radiologic technologist licenses with specific abbreviations. Florida, for example, uses the prefix CRT for general radiographers, nuclear medicine technologists, and radiation therapy technologists. Other states may use abbreviations like LRT (Licensed Radiologic Technologist) or similar designations. These state credentials slot in after your degree and before your national ARRT certification, following the degree-then-license-then-certification hierarchy. Not every state requires a separate license, so check your state’s health department to see if you have a state-specific abbreviation to include.
Radiology Nurses
Nurses who work in radiology departments and hold the Certified Radiology Nurse credential follow nursing’s credentialing order rather than the technologist format. A radiology nurse with a bachelor’s degree would write: Your Name, B.S.N., RN, CRN. The degree comes first, the state license (RN) comes second, and the national specialty certification (CRN) comes last. The CRN requires an active RN license and a minimum of 2,000 hours working in radiology nursing within the past three years, so it represents a meaningful specialization worth displaying.
Punctuation Details That Matter
Use a comma after your name and between each separate credential category. Academic degrees typically include periods: B.S., M.S., M.D., Ph.D. Johns Hopkins Medicine’s style guide reinforces this convention. When you list multiple degrees, separate them with commas: Your Name, B.S., M.S., R.T.(R)(CT)(ARRT).
One important rule from Johns Hopkins: never use “Dr.” and a doctoral degree together. It’s either Dr. Jane Smith or Jane Smith, Ph.D., not Dr. Jane Smith, Ph.D. This applies to radiologists (M.D. or D.O.) and anyone with a doctoral degree working in the field.
Putting It All Together: Examples
Here’s how complete credential strings look for common radiology roles:
- Entry-level radiographer: Jane Smith, A.S., R.T.(R)(ARRT)
- Multi-modality technologist: Jane Smith, B.S., R.T.(R)(CT)(MR)(ARRT)
- Technologist with state license: Jane Smith, B.S., CRT, R.T.(R)(ARRT)
- Radiologist assistant: Jane Smith, M.S., R.R.A.(ARRT)
- Radiology nurse: Jane Smith, B.S.N., RN, CRN
- Radiologist: Jane Smith, M.D. (or Dr. Jane Smith, but not both)
Credentials on Resumes and LinkedIn
Your credential string belongs at the top of your resume, directly after your name, exactly as you’d write it on a name badge. On LinkedIn, your headline is prime real estate. Leading with your job title (“Radiologic Technologist”) helps people immediately understand your role, and listing specific modalities like MRI, CT, and X-ray imaging in the headline makes your expertise visible without anyone needing to scroll through your profile. You can include your full credential string in the headline or place it in your name field, depending on your preference, but keep the formatting consistent with ARRT’s guidelines.
For email signatures and official correspondence, use your complete credential string every time. On radiology reports, your credentials appear alongside your signature. Electronic signatures are widely accepted in diagnostic imaging as long as access to the signing tool is secure and your facility’s policy permits it.