Recruiting and Retaining Radiologic Technologists Effectively

Introduction and Overview

Although the massive shortage of radiologic technologists that characterized the 1990s has largely abated, some shortage of workers in the field persists. Most such workers practice in large hospitals, which average 21 imaging workers. Rural facilities have a harder time recruiting, so hospitals in the most desirable locations may not experience a shortage at all. The key to recruiting for rural hospitals is therefore to outcompete urban facilities—while also looking to their own communities for talented individuals who can be guided into the profession.

Recruitment and retention are ultimately linked. Factors such as training programs for career development address problems both for facilities and for workers. Workers value the control that such programs give them over their career development—a selling point both during the recruiting process and thereafter. For the hospital, training results in workers who cost more but who can do more; this capacity utilization often produces positive financial benefits. The research surveyed here supports these core arguments.

Statement of the Issues

Nationwide, there is a shortage of radiologic imaging technologists. While the shortage has improved somewhat in recent years, this remains a position that is in demand, and in some areas of the country shortages still apply. Medical imaging is an important function that every decently sized facility has a use for. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are around 230,000 jobs in the field nationwide. Demand for medical imaging technologists is growing at 9%, faster than the average for most positions. Most technologists work in hospitals. The education requirement is an associate's degree or other training program in which one learns to perform this specific job. A bachelor's degree is not necessary but can often be an advantage. The median salary for this position is around $58,000 per year (BLS, 2016).

For many years there was an acute shortage of these professionals. With more people entering training, the shortage is not as severe as it once was, but demand remains high and growing, creating recruitment challenges for many organizations (Bednar, 2008). Most facilities require multiple full-time-equivalent (FTE) technologists—the average for urban facilities is 21—covering different specialties such as radiography, mammography, and nuclear medicine (ASRT, 2008). The ability to recruit an adequate number of specialists across these disciplines, and to retain them, is therefore essential to the proper functioning of a modern hospital.

There are also meaningful differences between urban and rural recruitment and retention. Rural facilities are often smaller, and their needs are correspondingly different. Rural facilities find it important to recruit technologists who are genuinely willing to work in that environment; retention is less a matter of competing against nearby facilities than it is about hiring people who will be comfortable in a rural setting over the long term (Slagle, 2010). Facilities seeking to improve their recruitment and retention strategies must understand the distinctions among urban, suburban, and rural contexts in order to achieve maximum effectiveness.

Human Resource Policies

Several dimensions shape the recruitment and retention of radiologic technologists. Pay, benefits, working conditions, and job responsibilities are all key elements of any strategy. In addition, hospitals need to identify the best sources from which to recruit. The first step for most organizations is to identify needs, typically framed in terms of FTEs required for each position within the field (ASRT, 2008). In the best-case scenario, few immediate vacancies will need to be addressed through external recruiting, because successful retention strategies reduce the need for recruitment.

Candidates come either directly from school or, for more experienced professionals, from other medical facilities. In the latter case, working conditions and pay are often the primary reasons for changing employers (Sundheim, 2013). A facility that is understaffed may struggle to retain the workers it does have, who may feel overworked and at risk of burnout.

One specific HR policy concerns signing bonuses. Competition for radiologic technologists means that a signing bonus is often offered—sometimes simply to cover expenses associated with starting a new job, such as relocation costs. Approximately 10% of facilities pay such a bonus, typically around $3,000. Signing bonuses are higher for more specialized positions.

Retention presents a distinct set of challenges. Pay is important, but so are benefits, autonomy, opportunities for advancement, and the working environment. When one works in a field in high demand, this creates an opportunity for greater control over working conditions and compensation. The radiologic imaging technologist therefore holds some degree of bargaining power. For hospitals and medical facilities, it is important to understand this bargaining position and to ensure that specialists' needs are met as a core component of the recruitment strategy. This can mean ensuring that technologists perform only the work for which they are trained, providing the best available equipment, and offering highly competitive wages and benefits packages.

References

ASRT (2008). A nationwide survey of radiology department/facility managers and directors conducted by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. ASRT. In possession of the author.

Bednar, J. (2008). They can see clearly now: Despite a less severe shortage, radiologic technologists are still in demand. Health Care News. Retrieved June 29, 2016 from http://healthcarenews.com/they-can-see-clearly-now-despite-a-less-severe-shortage-radiologic-technologists-are-still-in-demand/

BLS (2016). Radiologic and MRI technologists. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved June 29, 2016 from http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/radiologic-technologists.htm

Coombs, C., Wilkinson, A., & Preston, D. (2007). Improving the recruitment and return of nurses and allied health professionals: A quantitative study. Health Services Management Research, March 2007. In possession of the author.

Luckett, D. (2000). Recruitment and retention topics for a changing environment in medical imaging. Radiology Magazine, 22(Oct 2000), 32–37.

Slagle, D. (2010). Rural versus urban: Tennessee health administrators' strategies on recruitment and retention for allied health professionals. In possession of the author.

Sundheim, K. (2013). What really motivates employees? Forbes. Retrieved June 29, 2016 from http://www.forbes.com/sites/kensundheim/2013/11/26/what-really-motivates-employees/