All program directors and clinical coordinators of radiologic technologist training institutions will be required to have an advanced degree if they want to be accredited, according to the 2002 standards adopted by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT).
The update to the "Standards for an Accredited Educational Program in Radiologic Sciences" will go into effect January 1, 2002. Standard 6 in the human resources section states that a full-time program director must hold a master’s degree, while a full-time clinical coordinator must have a bachelor’s degree in order for the program to receive JRCERT accreditation.
The requirement is retroactive, so individuals who currently hold these positions, but do not have degrees, will be expected to obtain them by 2007.
"Individuals without these degrees have a reasonable time to complete them, elevating radiography to a more respectable level," said Eugene Frank, director of the radiography program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, according to an article in the latest issue of Scanner, published by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.
Standard 6 also states that a program director must be able to document at least three years full-time work experience, while a clinical coordinator must show proof of two years of professional experience.
"Excellence in education is the pathway to providing safe, quality patient care," wrote Janis Stiewing in the July/August 2001 issue of Radiologic Technology. Stiewing is the chairwoman of the JRCERT board of directors.
Based on a count by JRCERT that was reported in the 2000 annual report, only 45.8% of all current radiography program directors hold a master’s or doctorate degree. Just over 44% of radiation therapy program heads meet the criteria for an advanced degree.
Standard 6 has already caused some consternation, with one RT program director referring to it as "illogical and reckless. [The RT] profession is in jeopardy of going down the crapper," the director said.
Representatives of JRCERT were not immediately available for comment on Friday. The new standards can be downloaded at the JRCERT Web site.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
July 30, 2001
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