Grants, Internet Helping Improve Oncology Workforce Shortage

Newswise — To address the shortage of radiation therapy professionals needed to help treat cancer patients, several organizations are finding that grants, distance-learning programs and signing bonuses are proving effective in helping attract more students to the field and keep talented professionals within the specialty, according to an article written by John Kresl, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Workforce Committee of American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, and Roshunda Drummond, Esq., ASTRO Government Relations Policy Analyst. The article will be simultaneously published in the September 2004 issues of both the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of ASTRO, and the Journal of the American College of Radiology, the official journal of ACR.

According to ASTRO's 2002 Radiation Oncology Workforce Study, an average radiation therapy center in the United States has 14 radiation oncology healthcare professionals on staff. This includes radiation therapists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, physicians and radiation oncology nurses. These specialists are collectively responsible for planning, recording, interpreting and administering the treatment prescribed by the radiation oncologist as well as maintaining the precision of the sophisticated treatment equipment.

Radiation therapy practices across the country are currently in need of approximately 2.6 healthcare professionals per practice. In particular, practices are having a difficult time hiring radiation therapists to help physicians treat patients with radiation therapy. On average, practices across the U.S. have a shortage of 18.3 percent for radiation therapists. This represents a current nationwide need of approximately 1,800 additional therapists.

In the new article, the authors sought to access how well the radiation oncology community is addressing the staffing crisis. According to the article, a scholarship fund and development grant programs have been created to help train new professionals. The ASTRO grant program has distributed an average of $100,000 a year in the past several years to various radiation therapy programs across the country. The American Society for Radiologic Technologists administers five scholarship programs that last year awarded 10 scholarships worth $37,500 to entry-level radiation therapy students.

Distance-based and Internet learning are also becoming prominent due to the shortage of radiation oncology programs at universities across the country. In order to stir interest and attract students to the field, the Summit on Radiologic Sciences, a group composed of numerous organizations within the radiologic imaging and therapy community, has helped fund a recruiting video. In addition, the shortages have led to substantial increases in salary for all positions at all levels and even salary and retention bonuses to keep healthcare professionals in the field.

"The time is right to find and implement creative solutions to help address the staffing shortages in radiation oncology," said Dr. Kresl, a radiation oncologist at Saint Joseph's Hospital and Gamma Knife Center in Phoenix, Ariz. "I am hopeful that over the next few years, the initiatives that the radiation oncology community is putting in place will help us continue to attract new students to the field and retain the talented professionals we have. These radiation oncology team members will be critical to ensuring that cancer patients continue to receive high quality care."

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 7,500 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As a leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to the advancement of the practice of radiation oncology by promoting excellence in patient care, providing opportunities for educational and professional development, promoting research and disseminating research results and representing radiation oncology in a rapidly evolving socioeconomic healthcare environment.