The American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) said that the number of students enrolled in radiologic technology programs has decreased for the second straight year, according to a new survey.
The Albuquerque, NM-based society's 2009 Enrollment Snapshot of Radiography, Radiation Therapy, and Nuclear Medicine Programs showed that first-year enrollment numbers for the fall of 2009 were 16,759 for radiography students (down 1.9% from 2008), 1,505 for radiation therapy students (down 0.5%), and 1,482 for nuclear medicine technology students (down 15%).
In all, 56% of program directors reported full enrollment in fall 2009, compared with 61.4% in 2008. Directors managing fully enrolled programs said they turned away about 20,729 qualified students, while programs not at full enrollment reported unused capacity totaling 1,747 students, the ASRT said.
In other findings, about 9.6% of radiography program directors said they plan to decrease enrollment numbers, while 8% reported they were going to admit additional students. Also, nearly 16.7% of radiation therapy program directors indicated they plan to decrease enrollment, while 3.3% plan to increase enrollment. As for nuclear medicine program directors, 15.4% noted they plan to decrease enrollment and 15.4% plan to increase enrollment.
The survey was e-mailed to more than 1,000 directors in September 2009 and realized a 59% return rate.
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