How to Earn Your 24 ARRT CE Credits Without Breaking the Bank
If you’ve ever typed “ARRT CE credits cheapest way” into a search bar, you are not alone. Radiologic technologists face mandatory continuing education every two years regardless of their pay grade, their employer’s generosity with professional development funds, or how busy their department has been. The ARRT biennium requirement doesn’t flex.
The good news: you do not need to spend several hundred dollars to stay credentialed. Legitimate, ARRT-accepted CE is available at price points ranging from zero to under $60 for a full biennium cycle — if you know where to look. This guide breaks down the options systematically, including the free sources that most technologists overlook.
Understanding What ARRT Actually Requires
Before shopping for CE, confirm exactly what you need. The requirements vary by credential type:
- R.T. (most disciplines including Nuclear Medicine Technology): 24 Category A or Category A+ credits per 2-year biennium
- R.R.A. (Registered Radiologist Assistant): 50 credits per biennium (at least 25 must be Category A+)
- Sonography credentials: 24 total credits with 16 discipline-specific
If you hold multiple ARRT credentials, you only need to meet the requirement for your highest credential — credits can often count across multiple certifications simultaneously.
The CQR factor: In addition to the biennium CE cycle, ARRT requires a Continuing Qualifications Requirement (CQR) every 10 years for each eligible discipline. CQR involves a structured self-assessment plus completion of specific CE activities in identified content areas. Not all CE platforms code their courses for CQR, so if you’re in a CQR year, verify that the platform you’re using supports CQR credit reporting.
State licensing: Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Oregon have additional state-specific CE requirements. If you’re licensed in any of these states, confirm that your chosen CE platform is accepted by your state licensing board — not just ARRT.
Free ARRT CE Options
These are the options most technologists don’t know about or don’t take the time to set up. They require some administrative effort but cost nothing.
Manufacturer-Sponsored CE (Curium, Lantheus, etc.)
Radiopharmaceutical manufacturers offer free CE credits as a professional service to the nuclear medicine community. Curium, for example, offers up to 48 CE hours accessible through a promo code from a local Curium representative. These courses are video-based, approved by ARRT and NMTCB, and cover clinical nuclear medicine topics. To access them:
- Call Curium customer service (1-888-744-1414) to get your local representative’s contact information
- Contact the rep and request a CE access promo code
- Complete the courses and download your certificates
The quality is genuinely good — these are professionally produced clinical education modules, not promotional content.
SNMMI Webinar Replays
The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) offers 8.5 free CE credits to non-members through their webinar replay library. Registration for an SNMMI website account is required, but SNMMI membership is not. For SNMMI members (technologist membership runs approximately $117/year), the free CE access expands substantially to include journal article CE activities from the Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology.
At $117/year for a technologist SNMMI membership, the math works favorably if you need nuclear medicine-specific CE: the per-credit cost works out to approximately $4.88 per CE credit for a full 24-credit biennium, assuming you use the membership CE exclusively.
ASNC CE for Members
The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) offers 6 free CE credits to technologist members. Technologist membership is $80/year. These are high-level journal article CE activities from the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology and are primarily oriented toward nuclear cardiology applications — valuable if your practice involves myocardial perfusion imaging.
Low-Cost Paid CE Platforms
When free options don’t cover your full 24 credits, or when you want the simplicity of a single platform that handles everything, these paid platforms represent the most cost-effective legitimate options available.
eRadImaging — $54.95/year
eRadImaging is the lowest-cost full-service CE subscription available for radiologic technologists. For $54.95 annually, you receive unlimited access to more than 100 ASRT-approved Category A CE credits across all imaging modalities. There are no per-course fees or hidden costs.
The platform has been serving the imaging community since the early 2000s and carries courses in nuclear medicine (emission tomography, PET/CT, thyroid imaging), radiation safety, patient care, and every major imaging modality. Courses are reading-based with post-tests — a format that suits self-directed learners who prefer to work through material on their own schedule.
Check pricing at eRadImaging — at $54.95 for unlimited credits, this is the best flat-rate value in the market.
RADUNITS — $49/course (full biennium)
RADUNITS takes a different approach: rather than a subscription, you purchase a single course for $49 that delivers your entire 24 Category A credits plus CQR coding. One purchase, one course, full biennium requirement satisfied.
For technologists who don’t want to manage a subscription or pick through a course catalog, this simplicity has real value. You pay once, complete one structured course, and you’re done for the cycle.
Check pricing and course options at RADUNITS.
TakeCE — $69.90–$99.90 per course
TakeCE offers bundled courses specifically targeted at nuclear medicine technologists, with full 24-credit biennium packages priced between $69.90 and $99.90. Their NMT-specific courses — including the “Nuclear Medicine Simplified for Technologists” 24-credit bundle — are approved for both ARRT and NMTCB renewal.
For technologists who want NMT-specific content rather than a general imaging catalog, TakeCE’s focused curriculum may be worth the modest price premium over eRadImaging or RADUNITS.
GetYourCEU — $6–$29 per course
GetYourCEU offers individual nuclear medicine CE courses at very low per-course prices: a 6-credit radiation protection course runs $29, a 2-credit SPECT/CT hybrid course runs $9, and individual 1-credit courses are priced at $6–$8. This à la carte model works well if you need specific CE credits to satisfy CQR requirements in particular content areas rather than a full biennium package.
Cost Comparison Table
| Platform | Annual Cost | Credits Available | Per-Credit Cost | NMT-Specific Content | CQR Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curium (free via rep) | $0 | Up to 48 | $0 | Yes (NM-focused) | Varies |
| SNMMI (non-member) | $0 | 8.5 | $0 | Yes (NM-focused) | Check per course |
| SNMMI (member) | $117/yr | 24+ | ~$4.88/credit | Yes | Yes |
| eRadImaging | $54.95/yr | 100+ Cat. A | <$0.55/credit | Moderate | Check per course |
| RADUNITS | $49/course | 24 Cat. A + CQR | $2.04/credit | Moderate | Yes |
| TakeCE | $69.90–$99.90/course | 24 credits | $2.91–$4.16/credit | High (NMT bundles) | Yes |
| GetYourCEU | $6–$29/course | Varies | $3–$5/credit | High (NM-specific) | Check per course |
| Medality | $1,200–$4,999/yr | 200+ CME hours | $6–$25/hour | High (clinical depth) | Varies |
Strategy: Combining Sources to Minimize Cost
The lowest-cost approach combines free sources to cover as much of the biennium requirement as possible, then uses a paid platform to fill the remainder. A practical example for a nuclear medicine technologist:
- Contact Curium rep → access up to 24 free CE credits from their NMT-relevant course catalog (at no cost)
- If you need additional credits: sign up for eRadImaging at $54.95 to access 100+ additional Category A credits for the full year
Total cost for the biennium: $0 (if Curium covers the 24 credits) or $54.95 (if you need the eRadImaging supplement).
For those who want maximum simplicity: RADUNITS at $49 handles everything in a single transaction with CQR included. For the technologist who simply wants to satisfy the requirement with minimal time investment, this is hard to argue with.
What to Avoid
A few practical warnings about the CE marketplace:
Avoid courses that are not ARRT-recognized RCEEM approved. ARRT requires that Category A credits be approved by an ARRT Recognized Continuing Education Evaluation Mechanism (RCEEM). Verify this before purchasing any course. The two most common RCEEMs are ASRT and APCA — look for one of these on the course certificate.
Basic BLS/CPR does not qualify. Standard Basic Life Support does not count for ARRT biennium CE. Advanced CPR certifications (ACLS, PALS) can provide up to 6 CE credits once per biennium.
Academic coursework does count. Relevant academic courses at accredited institutions earn 16 CE credits per semester hour. If you’re taking coursework toward an advanced degree, you may be able to count that toward your biennium.
Conclusion
Earning your 24 ARRT CE credits does not require a large budget or a conference trip. Between free manufacturer-sponsored CE, professional society membership options, and low-cost online platforms, the full biennium requirement can be satisfied for well under $60 — or potentially for free.
The key is knowing which resources exist and spending a few minutes to set them up before your biennium deadline is looming. Start with the free options, then fill gaps with eRadImaging or RADUNITS as needed.
Ready to knock out your CE requirements for under $55? View eRadImaging’s annual plan or check RADUNITS’ single-course pricing to get started today.