How to Choose Radiology Training Equipment: A Guide for Program Directors
The radiology field is facing a workforce shortage that shows no signs of slowing down. According to the American College of Radiology, the gap between imaging demand and available workforce is widening every year. Community college radiography programs are on the front lines of that challenge and the equipment in their training labs is either helping or hurting their ability to close that gap.
For program directors and clinical coordinators, choosing radiology training equipment is one of the most consequential decisions they make. Get it right, and students walk into their first clinical shift confident and prepared. Get it wrong, and the learning curve that follows costs everyone — students, employers, and patients.
Here is what to look for.
Start With the Clinical Site
The single most important question to ask when evaluating any piece of radiology training equipment is simple: does this match what our students will use in the field?
It sounds obvious. But for many programs, the answer has historically been no. Outdated equipment, aging technology, and limited budgets have left students training on systems that bear little resemblance to what they will encounter the moment they step into a hospital or imaging center.
Katie Kruckeberg, clinical coordinator at Riverland Community College in Austin, Minnesota, has seen the difference firsthand. After upgrading their lab equipment through a partnership with Brown’s Medical Imaging (BMI), she watched her students adapt almost immediately.
“Students are actually using that,” Kruckeberg said of the new on-tube exam selection feature on their Radspeed unit. “And it’s helping prepare them out in clinical.”
That kind of direct transfer — from training lab to clinical site — is the benchmark every equipment decision should be measured against.
Key Features to Look For
Once you have established that clinical alignment as the goal, the evaluation becomes more practical. Based on the experience of program directors and clinical coordinators who have been through the process, here are the features that matter most:
Intuitive, user-friendly design. Students are learning. Equipment that requires extensive troubleshooting slows that learning down. Kruckeberg noted that the BMI mobile X-ray unit required virtually no hand-holding from faculty. “We haven’t had any ‘how do I turn this’ or ‘how can I manipulate this touchscreen,'” she said. “Very straightforward.”
On-equipment controls. The ability to select and adjust exam settings directly on the tube — rather than returning to a console — is increasingly standard in clinical environments. Training students on equipment with this capability builds habits that translate directly to the field. “They’re not going back behind the console and changing something last minute,” Kruckeberg said. “They’re doing it right then and there.”
Reliable battery life and mobility. For mobile units in particular, battery performance is non-negotiable. A unit that cannot hold a charge cannot complete an exam — and cannot teach students what reliable clinical performance looks like. Before BMI, Riverland’s mobile equipment struggled to power on. That is no longer a problem.
Digital interfaces that mirror clinical reality. Modern imaging is digital. Training equipment should be too. Students who learn on digital systems arrive at clinical sites already fluent in the interfaces they will use every day.
Consider the Total Cost
Sticker price is rarely the whole story when it comes to radiology training equipment. The more important question is what the total investment delivers, and whether it can be structured in a way that works for a non-profit, grant-funded, or budget-constrained program.
Vicki Kintop, radiography program director at Riverland Community College, learned this firsthand. Through a partnership with BMI and support from industry partners, Riverland secured a C-arm, a portable X-ray machine, and a complete new digital lab — all for under $300,000.
“We could spend $300,000 on just one of those things,” Kintop said.
That kind of value is not accidental. It is the result of working with a partner who understands the financial realities of academic programs and structures solutions accordingly. When evaluating equipment vendors, ask not just about price, but about how they approach partnership and whether they have experience working within the constraints of educational budgets.
Don't Overlook Service and Support
Equipment is only as good as the support behind it. For radiography programs managing multiple pieces of equipment from multiple manufacturers, service complexity can become a serious operational burden.
The solution that Riverland found — and that BMI offers — is a single point of contact for all service needs, regardless of brand or modality. For Kintop, that meant one call to resolve any issue, with a technician who already knew her facility, her equipment, and her team.
“Not having to call around and figure out who belongs with what piece of equipment,” Kintop said. “We just call that one person and we get the answers that we need.”
Chris Wolf, academic dean of nursing, health, and wellness at Riverland, experienced the same benefit from an administrative perspective. One call. One technician. Everything handled.
For busy program directors, that kind of reliability is not a luxury. It is a requirement.
The Right Partner Changes Everything
Choosing radiology training equipment is not just a purchasing decision. It is a partnership decision. The vendor you choose will shape what your students learn, how quickly they adapt to clinical environments, and how confidently they represent your program on day one.
For Kintop, the decision to return to BMI after a previous positive experience in 2019 was an easy one. The relationship had been built on trust, responsive service, and a genuine understanding of what Riverland’s program needed.
“Having BMI as our partner is a pleasure,” Kintop said, “and we’ll continue to do business with them in the future.”
The right equipment prepares students. The right partner makes it possible.