Continuing the decline it has seen in recent years, the job vacancy rate for radiation therapists has now fallen into single digits, according to a recent survey conducted by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.
Results show that at 5.4 percent, the vacancy rate is slightly lower than that of radiation oncology professionals.
The 2007 Radiation Therapy Staffing Survey also revealed that the average facility reported a 2007 budget allowing for slightly more than five full-time radiation therapists, 1.5 medical dosimetrists, 1.1 medical physicists, 1.9 radiation oncologists, 1.9 nurses and 2.4 administrative staff positions. In addition, the survey showed that the budget provided for almost no physician assistants.
Vacancy rates, defined as percent of budgeted full-time-equivalent positions currently vacant but being actively recruited, were 5.4 percent for radiation therapists, nearly 9 percent for medical dosimetrists, 10.7 percent for medical physicists, 10.4 percent for radiation oncologists, 7.2 percent for nurses and 7 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively, for ancillary and administrative staff positions.
"However, it is not clear whether these differences are statistically significant, nor whether they might be due to the somewhat broader population from which this year’s sample was drawn,” said Richard Harris, Ph.D., ASRT’s director of research.
For more information on survey results , visit www.asrt.org/rttstaffing2007.
