RSNA News - May 2005

Radiologist Assistants Prepare to Enter the Workforce

In the long run, we believe that R.A.s will have a positive impact on the workload situation.

—Charles D. Williams, M.D.

The first graduates of radiologist assistant (R.A.) education programs are expected to enter the U.S. workforce this year. Fifty pioneering students are enrolled in a handful of R.A. bachelor and master’s degree programs.

Edward Bluth, M.D., chairman of the Radiology Department at Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, said he expects R.A.s to ultimately help improve the efficiency of the radiology workforce.

Charles D. Williams, M.D., of Radiology Associates of Tallahassee, Fla., agrees. “The introduction of the radiologist assistant represents an innovative and cost-effective way to improve efficiency and productivity of radiology care,” he said. “As R.A.s become more commonplace in the workforce, radiologists and their practices will adjust their current patterns to more efficiently deliver care to the patient. In the long run, we believe that R.A.s will have a positive impact on the workload situation.”

Dr. Bluth, a trustee and immediate past-president of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), said ARRT recently finalized the role delineation for R.A.s (see sidebar). It includes 42 clinical activities, broken down into specific radiologic procedures.

For years, ARRT has been working closely with the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the American Society for Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) to create this new role for radiologic technologists (R.T.). Dr. Williams said the groups are working to address concerns about patient safety and to make sure all 50 states have similar practice laws. Dr. Bluth said ARRT, ACR and ASRT are working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on insurance, payer and other reimbursement issues.

Interest from R.T.s

Dr. Williams, the immediate past-chairman of the ACR Commission for Human Resources, said the college has received dozens of calls and he has personally received hundreds of e-mails from R.T.s interested in becoming R.A.s.

A 2001 survey by the American Hospital Association found a 15.3 percent vacancy rate among R.T.s—higher than the 13 percent vacancy rate among registered nurses. “However, with the introduction of the R.A. education program, there has been a marked improvement in the number of people entering the field. That vacancy rate is now easing,” Dr. Williams said.

In addition to being another step in the career ladder, Dr. Williams said improved compensation and a team environment are additional attractions to the R.A. field. “I’m pleased and honored to have been a part of developing this program. It has created a nice alliance between ACR, ARRT and ASRT,” he added.

Ten full-time R.A. students will graduate in June from Loma Linda University in California. Laura Alipoon, Ed.D., R.T.(R), said it has been a learning process for all involved. “When we began the program in September of 2003, it was so new that it was difficult to see where we were going and how we were going to get there. The students were a bit fearful because we started the program before everything was finalized. The next classes of students will have it a bit easier in that respect,” she said.

The R.A. class beginning this September at Loma Linda will enroll 10 to 15 students. “That will be the limit for a while,” Dr. Alipoon said. “We don’t have enough faculty to support any more students. We want to stay small to be able to handle all the clinical communications. Despite the shortage of R.T.s and the need for R.A.s, we don’t want to oversaturate the market.”

Interest from Radiologists

The R.A. program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) has been receiving phone calls from radiologists in surrounding states. The radiologists have expressed interest in R.A. students performing clinical rotations at their hospitals, according to Gladys Montane, M.A., R.T., an assistant professor and program director of diagnostic imaging technologies, and the director of the Masters of Science Radiologist Assistant Program at UMDNJ. “Some of our students come into the program with a radiologist as a mentor. However, we want to get our R.A. students to learn from other radiologists at other institutions too. Ideally, we would like for them to rotate through three clinical facilities, so we welcome the interest of radiologists and hospitals,” she said.

The R.A. program at UMDNJ was launched in September 2004, so the first graduation will be in 2006. All R.A.s who successfully complete their educational programs will have to pass the national registry certification examination from ARRT before they can begin work.

Five students are currently enrolled in the UMDNJ program. Ten new students are expected this September.

“We’re starting off small in order to make it manageable for our students and faculty,” she said. “Our students are quite flexible, and extremely interested in learning. This has enabled us to add to the curriculum when the need arises. We want to make sure our student’s education is complete before they go out into the workforce. My goal is to also get them involved in writing research papers.”

Finding the best textbooks is another challenge. “There are currently no textbooks written for R.A. students, so we have been using medical text geared toward radiologists, nurses and others. Someday, someone will write textbooks for R.A. students, perhaps even one of the students in this founding class,” she said.

Education at the RSNA Annual Meeting

Dr. Bluth encourages all R.A.s to attend courses at the RSNA annual meeting. “They will need continuing medical education, and one of the best places to get this is at the RSNA annual meeting,” he said.

Beginning in 2006, RSNA will offer an educational track designed for R.A.s. The Society has been working with ASRT to develop the track.

At the official business session at RSNA 2005, RSNA members will be asked to vote to amend the bylaws to create a new membership category for R.A.s. Information on the proposed bylaws change will be included in the October issue of Radiology.

Ruchi Wadhwa, a second-year student in the R.A. program at Loma Linda University, receives guidance in the suturing lab from faculty member Allan Bedashi.		Loma Linda University instructor Allan Bedashi (left) assists second and third-year R.A. students. They are practicing suturing on a pig’s foot.