Dear Imaging Center Insider,
According to some published reports, the radiologic technologist shortage has eased somewhat in the U.S. However, on the basis of conversations I've had with hospital and imaging center radiology administrators at conferences this past year, there are still a number of vacancies going unfilled.
Openings are even greater for those techs talented enough to possess skills for advanced imaging procedures such as CT angiography (CTA), MR angiography (MRA), or vascular ultrasound. At the same time, the demand for these types of procedures is at an all-time high, with additional growth forecast for the future.
At the 2005 RSNA meeting in Chicago, Dr. John Finn related how his group created a method for leveraging the knowledge and skill sets of its most advanced techs over a dispersed geographical area. They have been conducting cardiac MRI and MRA by remote control.
In their multisite practice, they established a protocol for a cardiac MRI technologist to perform exams at different sites through a console that took over the modality at remote locations. By doing so, the group has extended the expertise of its top technologists while providing better service to its clients by offering advanced imaging exams at more facilities.
If you'd like to find out more about how MR scanning by remote control was accomplished, click here. As an AuntMinnie.com Imaging Center Insider, you have access to the article days before the rest of our members.
Finally, if you have a comment or report to share about any aspect of diagnostic imaging practice, management, administration, regulation, or financing, please contact me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.
