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June 3, 2003
Radiation therapists needed in Alabama and nationwide
Shortage is also a problem nationwide
By CHRISTMAS McGAUGHEY Staff Reporter

"I would like to stay in this area, but there are so many options right now, I just don't know." Amy Peacock of Mobile Infirmary "In my field, I can go anywhere in the country and get a job in one day - the shortage is that severe, and people are desperate." Kelly Brightbill, a Mobile radiographer in a trauma unit 8 Radiation.

Ten years ago, radiation therapists were lucky to find a job; now, a national shortage has recruiters trying to lure students as soon as they enroll in Alabama's only two-year radiation therapy education program.

"The shortage has probably gotten worse in the last couple of years," said Ann Cieutat, who became a radiation therapist in 1975 and works at Mobile Infirmary. "Ten years ago, if you had a job, you were grateful, and you stayed there."

Now, Cieutat gets job offers by mail, e-mail and telephone almost daily. "They even call me asking if I know anyone else who would be interested."

Radiation therapists administer radiation treatment to cancer patients and must have two to four years of training. Nationally, there are about 13,500 radiation therapists, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There is an 18 percent shortage of therapists nationally, according to the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO). That percentage would put the total shortage at nearly 2,500 radiation therapists nationwide.

Of the more than 1,250 hospitals and private oncology practices that ASTRO recently surveyed, more than 40 percent said staff shortages were having a "slight to moderate impact" on the quality of care they provided to their patients.

Eighty-five percent said their oncology staffs were working more hours because of the shortage.

Almost all of the practices said they needed at least one more radiation therapist and one of several other essential staff members.

Locally, the Mobile area employs 40 of about 200 radiation therapists in the state, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That's a high number, considering the area's population, said Greg House, who oversees radiation oncology for the University of South Alabama Health System.

"We have a lot of radiation oncology centers in Mobile - that's very unusual," House said. "For some reason, Mobile has a high cancer population."

He estimated that there are six private or hospital-affiliated cancer treatment facilities in Mobile and Baldwin counties, compared to two or three each in Birmingham and Huntsville.

To stave off the statewide shortage, the University of Alabama at Birmingham has nearly doubled its number of radiation therapy students, said program director Laurie Adams.

She said this was the first year for students to do clinical coursework outside of Jefferson County, with eight students in Birmingham and eight in other parts of the state.

"I think it (the shortage) will probably be better in the next two or three years in Alabama because our program is putting out more people," Adams said. "And the majority of them stay in Alabama."

Adams said 19 students have been accepted for the fall program - the highest number yet.

"There were years we only had seven," she said. "If you triple that, hopefully it's not going to be quite as bad."

Students said they went into cancer treatment knowing they would have their pick of job offers.

Amy Peacock of Stockton is one of the first students from UAB's program to do her clinical course work in Mobile.

"I feel like the job opportunities are wide open," said Peacock, who is working in Mobile Infirmary's Radiation/Oncology Department. "We had recruiters come talk to our class during the first month we were in the program."

Peacock said she could work in a hospital treatment center, a private cancer center or with a traveling medical agency.

"I would like to stay in this area, but there are so many options right now, I just don't know," she said.

The traveling profession usually pays more per hour, gives employees a chance to see other parts of the country and offers bonuses or cost-of-living stipends, depending on the assignment.

"I'm trying to recruit her while she's here," said Patricia Brewer, who manages the department at Mobile Infirmary. Brewer said she recently filled two radiation therapy vacancies that had been empty for more than a year by recruiting fresh UAB graduates.

Helen Wilson, interim executive director for the Alabama State Nurses Association, said she also foresees a severe shortfall of oncology nurses unless things change.

"I think we need to look at, not just the existing shortage, but that we don't have any faculty in the schools," Wilson said. "We don't have people entering the field (of teaching), and students are not going to wait two or three years to get into a slot. They'll choose something else."

Those who work in radiology - the medical field which encompasses X-rays and diagnostic tests for cancer - said they are seeing a similar trend.

Dr. Steven Teplick, chairman of the radiology department at USA's College of Medicine, said there is a shortage of radiologists - doctors who specialize in diagnostic radiology.

Because of the shortage, radiologists at USA have started using the Internet to examine X-rays and scans from 10 rural hospitals and military hospitals that cannot afford to employ such doctors.

"In a sense, that's one way to help alleviate the shortage," Teplick said. "The problem is, you're not on site, and radiologists do a lot of things hands-on with the patients."

Teplick estimates that USA radiology staff members performed nearly 20,000 such teleradiation studies between October and March - nearly 100 a day.

Teplick said he believes there is a shortage in radiology because the population is aging, and there are more diagnostic tests and exams available nowadays.

"The supply (of doctors and technicians) is staying about level or increasing slightly, but the demand is increasing more," he said.

Kelly Brightbill, a Mobile radiographer who takes X-rays in a local trauma unit, said, "In my field, I can go anywhere in the country and get a job in one day - the shortage is that severe, and people are desperate."

Brightbill estimated that sometimes he does double his workload in an eight-hour period. Some hospitals in this region have had to hire more-expensive traveling X-ray technologists, he said, until they can find permanent staff members. CUTLINES: KATE MERCER/Staff Photographer Patricia Brewer, manager of the Mobile Infirmary's Radiation/Oncology Department, said she recently filled two radiation therapy vacancies that had been empty for more than a year by recruiting fresh graduates from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.