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Job satisfaction among ladiation therapy educators.

Article Excerpt
Overall employment in the United States fell dramatically in the late 1990s until late 2003, and only recently has the employment outlook improved. Despite a decline in overall employment rates in the United States during the past decade, the number of jobs within the health care industry has risen. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated that the health care sector added another 255 000 jobs during 2003, thus continuing its stature as one of the strongest sectors in the U.S. economy. (1)

Currently, health professions with the greatest need for employees include nursing, pharmacy and radiation sciences. (1) An American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) report estimated that the radiation sciences will need to recruit approximately 90 000 more workers by 2010, including 7000 more radiation therapists, 8000 more nuclear medicine technologists and 75 000 more radiographers. (2) Similarly, the BLS reported an increase of 31.6% in the number of radiation therapists needed by 2012. (1)

Hilton reported in 2003 that a shortage of radiologic technology educators, including radiation therapy educators, existed in the United States. (3) Common reasons cited for the shortage included the overall shortage of personnel in radiologic technology, low faculty salaries and difficulty finding faculty with appropriate academic preparation and degrees. These reasons, coupled with programmatic and institutional demands associated with faculty positions, contribute to the present shortage. Hilton projected the shortage to grow in the next several years as a large number of educators in the profession prepare for retirement. Considering the demands associated with radiation therapy educator positions and the availability of other options for educators, the question arises as to why radiation therapy faculty members remain in education.

Job satisfaction is one of the most consistent variables related to employee retention. Hapaz suggested that low morale and job dissatisfaction are correlated closely with increased turnover rates. (4) According to Kreisler, turnover in any organization is expensive; the average cost to replace an employee is roughly 30% of the employee's salary. (5) This total includes costs incurred while the position is vacant, costs associated with finding and selecting a replacement and costs related to training the new employee. (6)

Research on job satisfaction and dissatisfaction of radiation therapy faculty might reveal factors and relationships that influence faculty to stay in higher education positions and could offer insights into the recruitment practices needed to increase the number of educators in the profession. Given the current environment of greater job mobility, increasing pay, more opportunities and fewer employees, it is critical for health care institutions as well as educational programs to find and retain qualified personnel, including faculty. Similarly, it is imperative for educational programs to recruit and retain qualified faculty to meet the demand for competent radiologic technologists. Job satisfaction is central to these issues.

Given the shortage of radiation therapists today and government projections for greater shortages in the future, it is imperative to understand the determinants of radiation therapy faculty job satisfaction and identify the factors that influence job satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The future supply of clinical radiation therapists will be determined by the availability of qualified radiation therapy faculty to teach and administer these programs. To meet future educational and societal needs, it will be necessary to recruit additional faculty and students into the radiation therapy profession.

Literature Review

Although there is a multitude of research on job satisfaction among a variety of disciplines and occupations, studies of radiation therapists are limited. A Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature database search revealed only 1 study relating to radiation therapy and job satisfaction. However, other studies on the broader field of radiography and job satisfaction are discussed. Research findings on job satisfaction among educators in other health professions also are presented.

Radiologic Technologists

Johnson and colleagues sought to determine if job satisfaction was influenced by personality characteristics among a sample of radiation therapists residing in southern Florida. (7) The authors used 4 instruments (ie, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, Professional Satisfaction Questionnaire and Personality Research Form) in a correlation research design to determine the influence of demographic variables on radiation therapists' job satisfaction. Respondents expressed high levels of job satisfaction, and the majority found their jobs important and gratifying. Many enjoyed the technical aspects...

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