Do you think discrimination-in any form-is an issue in radiology? Have you or someone you know been denied a job or promotion in any modality of medical imaging or radiation therapy on the basis of sex, age, race, religion, marital status or other protected class?

Mark,

I felt discriminated against due to my age, as I am a mid-life career changer.  I felt like an outsider looking in both at school and at my clinical site.  This was hard for me because I was an outgoing, friendly and social person, who brought maturity and years of professional experience to the table.  Learning to keep my mouth shut was difficult.  It wasn't fair, it sucked, blah blah blah, but I persevered and made it through by keeping my eye on the prize and not being derailed when things got tough.  As to your question, I guess if you are trying to become a mammo tech Mark you may have a big hill to climb, or a couple of them.  There is a male ultrasound tech where I work.  I've never seen outright discrimination, and in fact my Radiography class was the picture of diversity.  Here is a link about discrimination in the workplace:

http://www.workplacefairness.org/generaldisc?agree=yes

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Patricia Roblin, R.T. (R)

Yes, I agree, discrimination exists in radiology.  As a Nuclear Medicine student, the Nuclear Medicine director, a physician, found jobs for the male students but not the female students.   He also protected the male students.  Example:  A female student and a male student both do some thing incorrectly.   The female student was disciplined while he made excuses for the male student. 

 And I'm sure we have all experienced co workers who seem to be the "pets" of the department.  Regardless of sex, they usually do very little in the department and when they do wrong, it is swept under the carpet.

When I was student for Nuclear Med, the male student worn dress pants and ties.  The female students had to wear uniforms.  When the male student went into the room with the patient they thought he was a Dr. and that I was a nurse.

Times have changed. I see many more female Nuc Med techs these days.

Yes, discrimination is an issue in radiology or any other field for that matter.  I have been a licensed nuclear medicine technologist for 12 years.  At my 8 year point, I was supervisor over my department and also radiation safety coordinator for the hospital.  I had a motor vehicle accident that left me wheelchair dependent (T12 burst fracture) and at that point requesting to return to my job.  I was denied the fact to go back to work or even given the chance to prove myself.  It's now been almost four years and since have returned to school and finished my bachelor's degree.  I am to this day still having problems getting a job in the radiology department.  I have the experience, the education, the knowledge, and great references, but can't seem to find anyone who is willing to look past the wheelchair to see that.  I think this isn't just for me as a disabled person, but it happens if you are male or female.  Depends on who is doing the hiring and exactly what they are looking for.

To find the answer to the original question I think all we have to do is take a look at the departments.  Look at the lower paying jobs and the highest paying jobs and see who is dominantly in those positions.  Will see racism and sexism in most departments, not just radiology.  Doctors are discriminated against, even by levels of attractiveness.

I have worked in the cath lab now for 15 years.  So here I am in the same place that I started.  I did not mind when I transfered to this department and had other men that had been in this department before me to be my boss.  One taught me to do all of the duties so that he could sit with the staff and shoot the bull while I was tending to his duties.  Then when he went to administration, he would take all credit for everything that I had done.  Later I found that out but still didn't get the credit.  They brought another male in, and it was just accepted that it was my duty to continue the work.  He never stepped up to the plate but he didn't last long either.  A travel tech (male) worked here for a while, move here, then became our director.  I trained him.  Go figure.....  He was here for about two years and made my life miserable.  He ended up finding a reason for the hospital to lay me off.  Funny thing though. I was gone for three months and the hospital called me and asked me to please come back because he had left and they had found some thing out since he was gone....  Again, go figure...... When I came back, the supervisor, (the director of surgery has been made our director and we have a supervisor instead) is a nurse.  She said that administration has said that past x-ray techs that were directors had screwed it up for the other x-ray techs.  She said that the x-ray techs would be nothing more than just that.  I have been here 3 times longer than anyone?  Would you say discrimation?????? 

 

 

I can tell you tha discrimination is alive and well in radiology.  I was discriminated against on a sex basis, and I was not the only one.  The only way to change this behavior is to find your voice.  Report the behavior through the chain of command at your institution, call an anonymous hotline if your employer has one.  If these suggestions do not work or produce retaliation, contact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  Contact the ACLU and use available resources until someone listens. These organizations can assess your situation and help you.  If you just sit back and take it, the behaviors will never change!  Fear is what holds most of us back.  Fear is temporary, regret is FOREVER!!!  Women do not have equal rights in the workplace as they should by law.  It's time to do something about the "good 'ol boy's club".....

More now than ever, I believe that discrimination is rampant in the radiology work environment.  I have my own story, however, having said that, I would  like to hear from other radiology professionals about their experiences with discrimination in the medical imaging setting.  Please feel free to share with me your stories/situations.  I've been around the block in this arena and support our profession especially those of us who are aging in this profession. There is a very obvious trend occuring:  fire the old and hire the new.  Translated:  Fire the experienced higher paid tech and replace them with a new less experienced graduate that's willing to hire on for considerably less money.  This is an abhorrent practice that needs to stop NOW!  This practice is not only ruining  and weakening our profession, this practice is implying a healthcare warrantee that hospitals and imaging centers no longer want to be accountable for.    They want the consumers money all the while knowing that they have only care about saving money NOT LIVES!  This is an acceptable practice in the United States.  Pay more for less!!!!!!!!!!!!  FACT:  In the United States a woman is more concerned with who is cutting her hair than who is performing her mammmogram or CT Scan.  How pathetic is that?

 

Please respond!

 

Becky Thiele, R.T., R (CT)

haywirefarm@starpower.net

existed in 1988 and does so today.....ie how many male sonographers and male mammography technologists would you hire?

YES!

I have been discriminated because I am white and because I am a man.

Try being a man and getting a job in mammography, or ultrasound, or even gen. Radiology. The few jobs that are not filled by the overly massive amount of students pumped out each year are too often tied to mammography or ultrasound in order to discriminate against males!

I am a hard working, professional, well educated, dedicated and caring  healthcare provider but because I am a Male in todays crazy Political Correct society I am seen as being less qualified if qualified at all.

Many jobs in healthcare are in a sly and hush hush manner not filled by a male. 

 

At one time I thought the EEOC was something for malcontent.  That was until “IT” happened to me.