Radiologic technologists have made themselves heard on several fronts in the past month, spurring action by the governing boards of two professional organizations. In one case, however, the response fell far short of what RT educators had hoped for.
Addressing a groundswell of complaints regarding new higher education requirements for RT program directors, the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) changed its implementation policy October 18 at a board meeting in Chicago. Program directors will now have until 2009 to obtain a master’s degree of some kind before their RT training programs will face possible loss of JRCERT accreditation, according to an announcement on the JRCERT Web site. The previous proposed deadline was 2007.
But the two-year extension is a far cry from what many RT educators had sought from the JRCERT: a blanket exemption from the requirement for program directors currently leading an accredited training program.
"The JRCERT action doesn’t address ‘grandfathering’ except to say ‘No’," noted Richard Bower, the radiography program director at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene, TX. Although he has already earned his own master's degree, Bower vocally protested the JRCERT plan on behalf of program directors.
Ironically, Bower says that many RT educators seem to advocate that affected persons observe the letter rather than the spirit of the JRCERT requirement by buying degrees from diploma mills. "I just don’t see how that advances the profession," he said.
Bower believes the requirement also has a discriminatory impact on hospital-based training programs. In order for their students to qualify for the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists exam, hospital programs must have JRCERT accreditation. Academic institutions aren’t bound to the same requirement for their RT students, he said.
According to the JRCERT’s own data, more than half of the current program directors at the nation’s 582 accredited RT training sites would have to obtain master’s degrees -- or be replaced by someone else in order to maintain their programs’ accreditation.
"I know that the livelihoods of some people whom we once considered colleagues will be negatively affected, and I’m sad for them," Bower said.
The JRCERT board also delayed implementation of a requirement that clinical coordinators at RT training programs possess baccalaureate degrees. Although this requirement had generated far less controversy than the one affecting program directors, clinical coordinators now have until 2009 to obtain such degrees before their programs would face possible loss of accreditation.
CSRT talks tough
On the labor front, complaints from California RTs about the quality of their union representation have inspired a new initiative by the board of the California Society of Radiologic Technologists.
The CSRT’s board of directors voted this month to "take on the task of pursuing collective efforts to improve employee satisfaction across the state," said CSRT president Annemarie Sundquist.
The objective would be to mold the CSRT into "an advocate in employee relations and satisfaction," said Sundquist, who avoids the term "union." However, she also said that if the CSRT’s vision were fulfilled, "the need for third-party negotiators would be moot."
"There’s no question that the reason CRTs are looking to third-party negotiators is that there are problems in the workplace," said Sundquist, who works as an administrator at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego.
The CSRT’s two-year strategic plan for exploring its greater potential will involve a series of meetings to bring together RTs and administrators, with guidance expected from national organizations in radiology. "It’s certainly an aggressive approach; I hope we don’t run out of steam," Sundquist said.
But if the CSRT is to have any chance of stepping into the role currently occupied by unions, she said, "membership in the CSRT to help us pursue this goal is critical."
By Tracie L. ThompsonAuntMinnie.com contributing writer
October 31, 2001
Related Reading
RT educators protest higher education requirements, October 8, 2001
California certified RTs ponder pros, cons of unionizing, September 13, 2001
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