The vacancy rate for radiation therapists reached 7.2% in 2020, a significant increase from the 3.2% vacation rate in 2018, according to a new survey from the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) performed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medical dosimetry vacancy rates also climbed from 2.4% in 2018 to 9.6% in 2020. Vacancy rates represent the percentage of positions that are open and are actively being recruited, the ASRT said.
"However, caution should be taken when interpreting and generalizing these figures," said ASRT Director of Research John Culbertson in a statement. "It should be stressed that the data was collected before the substantial impact COVID-19 had on clinical practice."
In other findings, the average number of budgeted positions per facility in therapy dipped slightly from 7.7 in 2018 to 7.1 in 2020. The number of budgeted positions for medical dosimetrists was 2.5 for both years.
The report is available for free for ASRT members.
