Boolean search strings for radiology technologists: ARRT discipline codes, state licenses and the CT and R.T. collisions

Radiology technologist searches trip over short codes. "R.T." is shared with respiratory therapists, "CT" is the postal code for Connecticut, "MR" matches every "Mr." in a profile and "x-ray" matches crystallographers and a cloud tracing tool. Spell the title out and the list still mixes radiologists, who are physicians, radiology schedulers, imaging IT staff, students and technologists from modalities the client does not need. A general radiographer and an MRI technologist hold different credentials and run different equipment.

The ARRT discipline codes and the modality separate them. Below are ten strings by modality, and what Indeed, LinkedIn and Google support as of October 2026. For screening once you have a list, see the radiology technologist screening questions.

Credentials and licenses that change what a radiology search finds

• How the credential is written. ARRT's guidance on listing credentials says to write R.T. with periods, each discipline in parentheses and (ARRT) at the end, with no spaces, as in R.T.(R)(CT)(MR)(ARRT). The codes in the table come from ARRT's list of credential options as of October 2026.
• Postprimary disciplines. CT, MR, mammography and the interventional disciplines are usually earned after radiography, which is why a profile reading (R)(CT) tells you the technologist started in X-ray and cross-trained.
• The state license. ARRT's state licensing page says each state grants the authority to perform imaging, that more than 75 percent of states have licensing laws for radiologic technology, and that some states require ARRT certification for a license while others do not. ARRT's Verify Credentials database confirms ARRT status; the license is checked with the state. This is not legal advice.

Ten Boolean strings by imaging modality

Swap in the modality, shift and city from your own intake; these are examples.

Radiography and hospital X-ray

1. General radiographer — Indeed Smart Sourcing
("radiologic technologist" OR "radiology technologist" OR "x-ray technologist" OR "rad tech") AND skill: ("diagnostic radiography" OR "portable x-ray" OR fluoroscopy) AND (arrt OR "r.t.(r)") NOT ("respiratory therapist" OR radiologist OR student)

2. Hospital nights, ED and portables — Indeed Smart Sourcing
("radiologic technologist" OR "x-ray technologist") AND skill: ("emergency department" OR portables OR "trauma imaging" OR "c-arm") AND ("night shift" OR nights) NOT ("respiratory therapist" OR student)

3. Surgery and C-arm — LinkedIn general search
("radiologic technologist" OR "x-ray technologist" OR "surgical radiologic technologist") AND ("c-arm" OR "operating room" OR fluoroscopy) AND arrt NOT ("surgical technologist" OR student)

Advanced modalities

4. CT technologist — LinkedIn Recruiter, Job titles + Keywords filters
("ct technologist" OR "cat scan technologist" OR "computed tomography technologist") AND (arrt OR "computed tomography") AND ("contrast injection" OR "ct angiography" OR trauma) NOT (radiologist OR "respiratory therapist")

5. MRI technologist — LinkedIn general search
("mri technologist" OR "mr technologist" OR "magnetic resonance imaging technologist") AND (arrt OR "magnetic resonance") AND ("mri safety" OR "contrast" OR "1.5t" OR "3t") NOT (radiologist OR sales)

6. Mammography — LinkedIn general search
("mammography technologist" OR mammographer OR "radiologic technologist") AND (mammography OR tomosynthesis OR "breast imaging") AND arrt NOT (radiologist OR sonographer)

7. Interventional radiology or cath lab — LinkedIn general search
("interventional radiology technologist" OR "ir technologist" OR "special procedures technologist" OR "cath lab technologist") AND ("vascular interventional" OR "cardiac interventional" OR angiography OR "cath lab") AND arrt

Cross-trained, new graduates and X-ray

8. Cross-trained X-ray and CT for an outpatient center — LinkedIn general search
("radiologic technologist" OR "ct technologist") AND (radiography AND "computed tomography") AND ("outpatient imaging" OR "imaging center") NOT ("respiratory therapist" OR student)

9. New graduate radiographer — Indeed Smart Sourcing
("radiologic technologist" OR "radiography graduate" OR "x-ray technologist") AND fieldofstudy: ("radiologic technology" OR radiography OR "radiologic science") AND (arrt OR "registry eligible" OR "clinical rotations")

10. Public profiles by city — Google X-ray
site:linkedin.com/in "ct technologist" "arrt" "computed tomography" "tampa" -jobs -recruiter -student

What Indeed, LinkedIn and Google actually support

Indeed's healthcare Boolean guide shows AND, OR, NOT, quotes and parentheses, a skill: field for the skills section, and fieldofstudy: and school: for education, as of October 2026. Its own healthcare examples pair a clinical setting with a role, which is the pattern strings 1 and 2 use for exam types and departments.

LinkedIn's Boolean help page requires capital AND, OR and NOT, supports quotes and parentheses, and does not support wildcards. The ARRT string is full of periods and parentheses that a search index may strip, so "r.t.(r)" is a bonus term, not a requirement; keep the modality in words beside it. LinkedIn Recruiter's Boolean page lists Job titles among the filters that accept Boolean and warns that too many facets in one query can cause problems.

Google's search operators page documents quotes, site:, the minus sign and filetype:, but not OR. Quote the modality phrase in an X-ray; an unquoted "ct" will match every Connecticut profile on the site.

Narrowing by license, modality and shift

License first. In a licensing state, the technologist needs that state's license for the modality, and ARRT notes that holding an ARRT credential does not by itself mean someone is eligible to work in a particular state. Ask the client what its state requires and how long it will wait for a license transfer, and verify both ARRT status and the state license before submittal.

Modality next. Decide with the client whether a postprimary credential such as (CT) or (MR) is required or whether on-the-job experience is enough, because many technologists perform CT or MRI before sitting for the credential. If experience is enough, search the modality phrase and leave the code out.

Shift and call decide the rest. Hospital roles often include nights, weekends and call; outpatient centers usually do not. Put shift words in the string only for night-only roles, as in string 2, and otherwise ask on the call.

Cross-training is worth a separate question. Outpatient centers and smaller hospitals may want one technologist who can cover radiography and CT, or CT and MRI, in the same shift. String 8 requires both modalities with an inner AND; if it returns too few people, relax it to an OR and ask each candidate how recently they worked each modality, because a credential earned years ago is not the same as a current scan volume.

False positives worth excluding with NOT

• Respiratory therapists. They share the RT abbreviation and the ICU. Exclude "respiratory therapist." For that search, see Boolean search strings for respiratory therapists.
• Radiologists. Physicians list every modality. Exclude "radiologist," "radiology resident" and "md" for technologist roles.
• Surgical technologists. "Surgical technologist" and C-arm searches overlap in the operating room. Exclude them, and see Boolean search strings for surgical technologists for that role.
• The code collisions. CT matches Connecticut, MR matches Mr., and "x-ray" matches crystallography and software tracing tools. Quote the modality phrases.
• Schedulers, imaging IT and sales. Radiology schedulers, PACS administrators and equipment sales representatives list modalities. Exclude "scheduler," "pacs administrator" and "sales" for clinical roles.

A worked example: three passes on a CT search

An invented search, shown as it actually gets narrowed.

Quoting the modality phrase removed the Connecticut problem, and the exam types placed the candidates in the right kind of department.

What a search cannot verify

A string can find someone whose profile lists the right modality and codes. It cannot confirm that an ARRT credential or state license is current, how the technologist screens a patient for MRI safety, or what they do when a contrast reaction starts mid-scan. The radiology technologist screening questions test that judgment, and the interview guide for healthcare roles covers the imaging manager's round.