Will I be able to find a job after I complete a program in medical imaging?

In a word, the answer is yes.

• You can hear about it from students who have just graduated from medical imaging programs. They have no trouble getting a job right out of school (and in some cases securing job offers while still in their program).

• You can read about it in the statistics that the US Department of Labor publishes for the field of medical imaging. There will be a need for more than 55,000 medical imaging technologists by the year 2008.

• You can see it on the website of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. They report that registered Radiologic Technologists are the “scarcest of all hospital staff” with increasing national vacancy rates.

• You can learn about it from the American Hospital Association survey showing that radiologic technologists have an average vacancy rate of 15% - - the highest average vacancy rate of any hospital profession.

• You know about it first-hand, if you have had to wait a number of months to schedule a routine mammogram or ultrasound because there are no patient openings available.

During the period between 1994 and 2001, there was a 37% decline in the number of associate of science degrees awarded in the health sciences. Less people going into the field during this period coupled with the aging health care workforce in general (nurses, medical assistants and others) have created a significant demand for experienced radiologic technologists.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that radiologic technologists who are educated and credentialed in more than one type of diagnostic imaging technology (or modality) such as sonography or nuclear medicine will have even better employment opportunities, as employers look to control costs. In addition, the increasing survival rates of cancer patients, the expansion of newer technologies and research and the growing elderly population all contribute to the need for qualified professionals in the field of radiography.

Increasingly, more people are learning about the demand for radiologic technologists. As a result, radiography programs are becoming more competitive and filling up earlier and earlier. But it is not too late to stay ahead of the curve and position yourself to move into the growing, expanding and exciting field or radiography.