Imaging services professionals, such as radiologic technologists, sonographers, and MRI technologists, are an integral piece of the healthcare workforce. As they diagnose problems and provide clarity for physicians, they directly contribute to the success of the entire healthcare team, from nurses to health professionals to providers.
As burnout continues to sweep through the healthcare industry, imaging professionals are being impacted. High burnout rates, increased job stress, and strained staffing numbers continue to prevail, creating more challenges for healthcare facilities trying to retain and support imaging service professionals.
Why imaging services are in high demand
One of the largest groups of imaging professionals are radiologic technologists, which according to the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists, are “the third-largest group of health care professionals—surpassed in number only by physicians and nurses.” Even as the third largest group, more radiologic technologist jobs continue to be created every year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Overall employment of radiologic and MRI technologists is projected to grow 6 percent from 2023 to 2033, faster than the average for all occupations.” With such a rapidly growing occupation, “About 16,000 openings for radiologic and MRI technologists are projected each year, on average, over the decade.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, other imaging service occupations are also seeing projected growth as well, with the exception of nuclear medicine technologists:
| Position | Projected Growth |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographers & Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | 11% |
| Nuclear Medicine Technologists | -1% |
| Radiation Therapists | 3% |
But as demand continues to grow, so does burnout and turnover. The American Society of Radiologic Technologists surveyed imaging professionals in radiography, sonography, nuclear medicine technology, radiation therapy, and medical dosimetry to get a better handle on the state of imaging services in 2024.
According to this survey, the ASRT shares that the “estimated radiographer vacancy rate in 2023 was at an all-time high of 18.1%, an increase from 6.2% in 2021.” Cardiovascular-interventional technology reached a vacancy rate of 19%, sonography 17%, nuclear medicine technologists 15%, radiation therapy 11%, and MRI techs 16%. With vacancy rates increasing at such an alarming rate, healthcare facilities are feeling the effects of the shortage of imaging professionals.
As the number of imaging service professionals decreases, facilities are left working their current imaging service professionals overtime, leading to longer wait times for images and decreased quality of care, on top of the inevitable burnout that comes from being overextended in a role. With life-saving tests included in imaging services, even a short delay can cause adverse outcomes for patients, leading to longer gaps before starting essential care and a lowered patient satisfaction rate.
Root cause of turnover
As facilities work to address retention and lower turnover, imaging professionals have cited many reasons for their exodus from the field, including the following:
Retirement
Based on the survey from the ASRT, 60.4% of respondents who no longer worked in imaging services claimed that retirement was the reason they were no longer in the field. The median age of most imaging professionals is early-mid 40s according to the BLS, so as time goes on, facilities will likely continue to see more imaging professionals retire. As these seasoned imaging professionals leave, facilities will likely have to rely on younger professionals to take their spots, which can create a disadvantage for establishing a mentorship system that provides support for younger imaging professionals from the more seasoned veterans.
Burnout
Burnout remains a major factor when it comes to staffing and retaining imaging professionals. In the ASRT survey, 24.8% of survey respondents who had recently left their position stated that burnout was the reason they left. A significant portion of the respondents also stated that they felt underappreciated and emotionally exhausted at work, which are two factors that significantly contribute to burnout. Other causes of burnout can include lack of staff, long hours, little support from management, job stress, and low pay.
When imaging professionals experience burnout, this can lead to stress at work, which can seep into their personal lives and affect turnover rates. According to a report by Philips, “44% of technologists in the US report moderate or severe levels of job stress.”
The ASRT survey states that “most survey respondents (70%) reported turnover among the staff working in their department during the previous year. On average, they estimated that about 5 full-time equivalent technologists left their department.” Of that turnover, it was shared that 35% left because of burnout.
Flexibility
While there are a lot of imaging service professionals working full-time, many are turning to part time work as well. This can be for a variety of reasons. According to the ASRT, “The 3 most common reasons given were being semi-retired (37.4%), not wanting full-time employment (30.6%), and having family obligations (24.7%).” With the need for flexibility, more imaging services professionals are turning to flexible working to carve out more time for themselves, whether that’s through part-time or per diem work.
Achieving a healthy work-life balance is at the forefront of most healthcare workers’ minds, and reducing the hours at work or creating their own schedule can make a difference in burnout rates, allowing imaging professionals more time to pursue their personal passions. With less stress, imaging professionals will be less likely to experience burnout, which can significantly improve job vacancies and turnover rates.
Stay tuned for part 2 of our series on retaining imaging professionals and preventing turnover
Assessing staffing vacancies
As facilities take steps to address burnout in imaging professionals, assessing how they’re doing in these categories can help them create better solutions for solving the problem. In our next blog on retaining imaging professionals, we’ll dive into tangible steps facilities can take to reduce rates of burnout and create a healthier environment for imaging professionals.
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