FAQ's

Licensee FAQs

What imaging professionals must have a North Dakota license to practice?

North Dakota Law 43-62 requires licensure and appropriate registry for individuals practicing the following; (if actively practicing more than one modality MUST have current and appropriate registry in each) as a:
Nuclear Medicine Technologist, Radiation Therapist, Radiographer, Radiologist Assistant, Sonographer, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist, Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS), Registered Cardiac Electrophysiology Specialist (RCES), Limited X-ray Machine Operator, and Bone Densitometry Operator.

If I am working as a locum tenens or a traveler, do I need to have a ND license?

Yes, you do have to be licensed to practice medical imaging on humans in ND, even if it is only for one week or one month. Additional questions, please contact the Board office at info@ndmirtboard.com.

Who can apply for a temporary license? How long is a temporary license granted for?

The board may issue a temporary license to an individual whose pending results of a national registry or if issuance is for the purpose of providing medical imaging or radiation therapy services to medically underserved areas as determined by the board.

A temporary license may be issued only if the board finds it will not violate the purpose of this chapter or endanger the public health and safety. A temporary license expires when the determination is made either to issue or deny the applicant a regular license.

A temporary license may not be issued for a period longer than one hundred eighty days.

What if I am no longer registered with ARRT or another certifying body? I passed the examination but did not maintain my registration and have not been CE compliant.

According to NDCC 43-62-14(2)(c), an applicant must “[s]how evidence of compliance with continuing education or recertification requirements required for registration of certification by a certification organization recognized by the board.”  Therefore, the requirement is that you must meet the requirements (continuing education or otherwise) for registration of certification.  So you would need to renew the ARRT registration, become CE compliant, and then apply for ND licensure. Please contact the Board office for additional information as soon as possible.

I am registered as a radiographer and a sonographer. Do I pay the licensure fee twice?

No. You only have to pay one fee. The Board decision is to have one fee and not charge for multiple disciplines, however the applicants need to declare all modalities of current practice.

If I am working in Montana but located close to the ND border, do I need to have dual licensure in both Montana and ND? I am practicing at a hospital in Montana and seeing patients that are ND residents.

If a ND patient is being treated in MT, the license requirements are found under MT laws.  Where you do the “job” will determine which state’s license laws (or lack thereof) apply. If you are working in both licensure states, you must have a license from each state (same as all licensed healthcare professionals).

When do Limited X-ray Machine Operators and Bone Densitometry professionals transition from regulation with the ND Health Department to licensure with NDMIRTB?

The 2017 session passed Senate Bill 2327 proposed by the ND Health Department. This allows for the transition of Limited X-ray Operators (LXMOs) and Bone Densitometry Operators from the Health Department to the Board this move occurred in late 2018. 

How were the licensure fees set by the state board, North Dakota Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Board (NDMIRTB)?

NDMIRTB is self-funded. There were no funding provisions established in the statute for the initial set-up or operations of the board. The Board feels strongly that state licensure should not be a financial burden to anyone and worked diligently to keep the license fees as low as possible.  The board members researched license fee-setting by:

• Acquiring membership lists from certification entities like ARRT, ARDMS, CCI and estimating the total number of licensees expected.
• Working with the Board office and the assistant attorney general to establish a budget sheet of expenses over time. Included in the expenses are such things as office supplies and mailing fees, telephone/fax fees, management services, public notification fees, establishment and maintenance of a web site, audit fees, insurance, and legal fees.

The Board looked at several revenue/expense sheets that were generated using variable application numbers and expenditure estimations.  The fees were established based on the estimation of need to maintain the balance sheet for operations. The Board worked diligently to keep the fees as low as possible.

Within this entire process in 2016, the Board did a comparative analysis of fees applied for Radiology in other licensed states as well as the license fees for other similar health occupations within North Dakota.

What do I get for my licensure dollars?

You will receive a license certificate that will allow you to legally practice medical imaging and radiation therapy in North Dakota for the next two years. This is mandatory licensure not optional as it is now a state law.

What if I am not currently practicing medical imaging or radiation therapy? Do I need to apply for a license now? If I don’t apply now, will the requirements be different in a year?

If you are not currently practicing in ND, it is your choice if you want to apply for a license. When you decide to work in ND, you will need to be licensed before you begin practicing medical imaging or radiation therapy.