March 2004 | Vol. 22/No. 3

UCSF Center for the Health Professions Report

Workforce Shortages, Worker Burnout, and Safety Risks Challenge Diagnostic Imaging Profession

The diagnostic imaging professions, including vascular technology, provide critical services in the U.S. health care system. However, according to the Center for the Health Professions at the University of California , San Francisco , the national workforce shortage among diagnostic imaging workers is among the most severe of all allied health care professions. A 2001 American Hospital Association (AHA) study reported a 15.3 percent vacancy rate for imaging technologists and technicians, with the highest rate - about 17 percent - in the west.

The nation's aging population has been a significant factor in the imaging workforce shortage, because it has increased demand for diagnostic imaging services, and science has been able to supply new technologies and diagnostic tests to meet these increasing diagnostic needs.

Job "burnout" among diagnostic imaging workers also has an impact on the workforce shortage. Burnout, defined as "emotional and physical exhaustion resulting from exposure to environmental and internal stresses," combined with inadequate coping and adaptive skills, is a common problem in health professions. Burnout severely impacts job satisfaction and increases turnover, ultimately maintaining and perhaps increasing diagnostic imaging vacancy levels. As workloads increase due to staffing shortages, diagnostic imaging workers are more likely to experience symptoms of burnout, such as insomnia, stomach disorders, social withdrawal in the workplace, and a sense of dread over going to work each day.

Practitioners in the field of diagnostic imaging point to a lack of professional recognition and low salaries," the report notes, as well as job burnout and risk of injury, such as musculoskeletal injuries (MSI) caused by lifting and positioning patients.

To successfully meet these challenges and the growing need for high quality diagnostic imaging services, increased attention to these professions and the challenges they face will be essential in our nation's health care system. To read the full report from the UCSF Center for the Health Professions, please go to http://futurehealth.ucsf . edu/pdf_files/Diagnos_Imaging_Brief2.pdf .