The best week of the year for the 337,000+ Rad Techs throughout the country is the celebration of Rad Tech Week.
I’m putting this article out early so the search engines can pick it up BEFORE the celebration begins. Throughout the year I’ll be adding more information.
Rad Tech Week 2020 Post is here with additional info
National Rad Tech Week
National Radiologic Technology Week is celebrated annually to recognize the vital work of rad techs across the nation.
The celebration takes place each year during the week that includes Nov. 8th to commemorate the discovery of the x-ray by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen on Nov. 8, 1895.
It was officially started by the ASRT back in 1979 and continues through the current day.
Originally in July, it was moved to the week in November that correlates with the invention of the xray by Wilhelm Roentgen, Nov 8, 1895.
Celebration Week for Everyone!
When you work in healthcare you see all the different professions that promote their own career field.
The most prevalent, of course, is Nurses Week.
Most prevalent because, as we all know, nurses get everything they want.
More pay, more recognition, more extra job incentives… but I’ll save that for another day.
It’s Friday…why start that now, right?
Then there’s Radiation Therapy Day, Administrative Assistant’s Day, Physician Appreciation Day, and on and on…
So I have no reservations about announcing from the rooftops every November that it is Rad Tech Week.
If you are here because you are looking for ideas on what you can do to celebrate rad tech week at your hospital, here are several of the things I have done in the past.
Rad Tech Week Gifts (ie., swag)
There are tons of sources out there for swag. You can buy it on your own, get someone to donate it, or if you’re super lucky, get your department to pay for it. The latter, however, has been dwindling for years. But don’t let that stop you. Get creative. Now, on with the list!
Collector Coins
One of my all-time favorite gifts to give employees for Rad Tech Week was a commemorative coin that I had custom made. It cost nearly $800 to have 200 made but a staffing agency sponsored the cost!
Department t-shirts
This is by far one of my favorite pieces of swag to give away each year. Maybe it’s because these things are seen for years and years. I still have my rad tech week shirt from 2005. The cost is typically anywhere from $7 per shirt and up. I have paid as high as $13 in past but that was long sleeve and pretty thick. There are also hoodies, short sleeve shirts, and nice, professional-looking jackets.
- Employee Appreciation Fund – if you company has a fund set aside, by all means do a shirt. An average annual EA fund allots for $10-20 per employee. That’s plenty for a shirt. Don’t go too skimpy on the quality to save money. Be proud of your profession and buy something sturdy that will last.
- Vendor Sponsors – if it isn’t against company policy or breaking any Stark or Sunshine Laws, ask your vendors if they are comfortable sponsoring the shirts. They can put their company logo on the back and call it a write-off for advertising.
- Fundraisers – sometimes when there isn’t any corporate money (during the lean years, stupid Enron…), you may offer to do an employee fundraiser on a weekend with the funds raised to go towards a departmental shirt.
- The never-popular buy your own option. You can still enjoy a group purchase discount even if everyone is paying for the shirt themselves. Word of caution: don’t sign up to be the person in charge of keeping who paid and who hasn’t straight. Your sanity will be at risk.
General Swag
This category has all the miscellaneous stuff that you gather from companies and your own hospital.
You’ll get logo cups, pens, frisbees, pocket calendars, and all kinds of knick-knacks.
Don’t be concerned about butting out a giant bucket of company logoed water bottles.
Free is free and the techs will love it.
- Approach your human resources department and just ask if they have any extra swag. One hospital I worked at had tons of old hospital T-shirts. It had the hospital logo and came from various events over the past few years that were marketed. There were various sizes and event logos. Nonetheless, free is free and they went like hotcakes to the techs.
- Ask your vendors if they would like to donate logo pens, koozies, water bottles, or anything else that they might have extra lying around the warehouse. Again, be aware of rules and regulations around this stuff.
- Hit your dollar store. Remember when Target had the Dollar Spot? That stuff was perfect for loading up gift goodie bags. Look around and see what you can find. Especially if you go with a theme.
- Homemade stuff is also a big hit. Make your own signs, games, whatever you can on your own. It adds a personal touch and saves money.
Free Rad Tech Crossword Puzzles
Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3 – Day 4 – Day 5
Rad Tech Week Food
Next to shirts, the food is right up there as my favorite.
Most vendors, not all but most, are allowed to visit your department for a “Lunch and Learn.”
The technicalities of this event are that the vendor has to present something about their business…which they do every time they visit anyway…
And the staff has to be engaged in that presentation to some degree. Print out a sign-in sheet and place it in the lounge.
The vendor can present there and any tech who wonders in for food can sign the sheet.
The vendor then has a document to take back to corporate and show there was business engagement and not just a face-stuffing contest.
A nice schedule to follow is setting up one vendor for each day of the week.
Make sure to include Sunday and Saturday because they fall within the celebration week and you don’t want to short the weekend staff.
They will let you know…believe me.