Has anyone else spotted the trend of the hoardes of new grads looking for work?

I mean, these new grads can't even do facial bones and they are getting certified. I know students who will be graduating in 2 months and they can't even do a stretcher chest alone.  I, for one, am tired of the ER docs ordering a Facial CT cause the Xray tech told them they don't do facial bones anymore. "They just do a CT now," They will say.  No, It's cause they can't do "jughandles" cause they never learned but were passed anyway.  This happened in 2001.............way before CT took over facial imaging, too.  Now, it's even worse. 

When I was a Supervisor I was "talked to" cause I was too hard on the students.  Why? because I felt that they shouldn't be reading a magazine while the techs are doing truama pt's, which by the way, the students wouldn't even attempt to image cause they had facial bones or a skull ordered, instead of a CXR or run of the mill hand X-Ray.

 I see the quality of the students going WAY down.  When asked to do a T-spine, they will say, "I don't need that.  I already tested (comped) it."  Then they go back to reading Woman's day or whatever else is laying around.  You see the problem here?

The # of jobs is dwindling, the quality of the grads is going down as the technology improves and I fear we will be reduced to ER Pt Care Tech status soon.  I think the schools just want the students $$ and don't care if they are profficient.  I see the techs pay nosediving as a flood of eager, yet in my opinion, sub-optimal students are looking for work at any pay rate and experienced techs being replaced by the cheapest candidate to come along.

 After 10 years of working as a traveler, Staff Tech, Supervisor and mobile tech I can say the professionis in trouble.  The schools here just graduated 40 students and there are NO jobs in the paper other than a few imaging centers and they are mostly PT and Per-Diem.  Then, in 12 months another 40 inept students will be out hunting for our jobs while the administrators try to find ways to get rid of the higher paid and more experienced techs abd replace them with the new grads.

I'm going to ITT Tech for Automotive Technician next year. I see X-Ray jobs becoming like McDonalds.  They'll be little pictures of each exam on the control panel and the workers will learn the basics, and nothing else.  Because, if that person doesn't work out, they'll move on down the list to the next person willing to take a whack at it.

I am about to graduate from radiology school in 3 days myself and yes it is hard to find jobs. I am more than willing to move out of my area. It's funny because when I started my core classes to get into radiology school there was an abundance of jobs out there.

I must also say that in my program we were taught how to do facial bones, skulls, and sinuses, not to mention some of the special views for each (i.e. orbits, zygomatic arches, mandibles, sela tursica, ect.). Maybe the quality of the student has alot to do with the program in which they are enrolled in.

As still technically a current student, I feel obligated to tell you that all students are not alike. I worked VERY hard all through radiology school. I never missed a day of clinical OR class. I also busted my butt when I was there. Anything they wanted me to do I did it and I did it willingly. The more you do the more you learn and the better you get at it. I NEVER said to anyone who was trying to give me an exam to go do "I've already got that exam" or "I don't want to do that." My answer was always "I will go do it but I don't need a grade on it."  Trauma cases are the ones I personally live for. I will be the first one down in the ER getting the portable ready and loaded with cassettes whenever we have a trauma coming in. And, yes, I can do a stretcher chest, t-spine, and skull right by myself. How do I know? Because I have done it.

So, please remember that not all students are created equal. There are some of us out there who have a passion for our profession and who won't settle for anything but the best from ourselves and for our patients. Have a great day.

Glad to hear it.  I think it is the program(s) in my area of D.C..

 I feel for the new grads, though.  I went through a brutal program, albeit 10 yrs ago.  Talk back to a tech?  We were given a blue slip, sent home for the day and had 2 points deducted from our final average for that semester......for each occurence.  Get caught sitting while there was work to do?  Same thing.  Or, the CI would put you in BE's for a month or so or end up doing the house pt's for a month.

 I'm aggravated cause the programs are lying to you new grads and have been for the last 2 or 3 yrs.  The market is contracting and pretty soon we might go the way of the autoworkers.  I agree we need new blood, but the answer is not more lenient requirements or more programs.  It's better teaching, instilling a work ethic and only accepting the best........like physician and nursing programs do.

 Didn't mean to insult you and if you can do what you said, the field is lucky to have techs like you.

 Good Luck.  lord knows we'll all need it.

Yeah. I'm not going to lie....there were other students in my class that I would not want to hire because they were lazy and did not have a good work ethic. A student should never talk back to a tech. It's just a matter of respect for another person. They have been doing it alot longer than you the student. Also, students sitting around at clinicals when there is work to do is rediculous. I'd rather be busy and working.....honestly it makes the day go by faster. Plus it doesnt matter how many chests you have done, every patient is different. You never know what you are going to have to do to get a good film. Try to learn from each patient you deal with.

I honestly think that the field is just going through a cycle where the supply is higher than the demand. I believe we will see it swing the other way at some point (I hope atleast!). I do agree that programs should be more selective. Our school does have a work ethic program and the teachers give us a work ethic grade. I think that young people as a whole are lacking a good work ethic. Most think that people are going to hand it to them not that they have to work for it. Maybe I'm just different but if I'm going to do something I'm going to give my all!

Thanks! :) 

Sickofitall,

I cannot agree with you more! My spouse and I are 18 and 20 year veterans in x-ray. We recently took a leap of faith and sold our home and relocated with no job waiting to another state. We thought that it would be easy to get one because of our work experience. Not so!!. We are finding that because we are from another state we are not getting ANY call backs from ANY local hospitals. I take that back, my spouse had one call from an interventional manager and an interview, but was told that because my spouse was unknown in the area it was a very serious drawback! Needless, to say this week will be 2 weeks and we were told to call in another week to find out about the jop. My spouse is now seriously thinking of taking a very low paying job doing pest control just so we can survive. I am so pissed off that I am changing careers to become a nurse. Hopital's really need to take a look at what they are doing to the x-ray field. They are replacing older, more experienced techs for younger, lazier versions because of the budget and the monetary impact. What will happen is that customer service will be impacted and as we all know that can really effect the over-all hospital as a whole. I love x-ray and would love to stay in it but I need to go where I can get a job at a decent wage. I hope all these new techs graduating have a second career that they can fall back on because you won't get employment now and definitely not in the next several years at a decent salary!

It'll get worse before it gets better.  I suggest going through Maxim Staffing Solutions, or Lloyd Staffing, MSN or another temp agency. The internet is a good resource. The temp market may be dead, but the traveling agencies are now focused on permanent jobs and can often get a foot in the door for you.  Maxim got me my FT job. 

They've already outsourced the Radiologists via Nighthawk and Telerad.  We'll be next.  And with CR and new Techs having NO IDEA about techniques, I suspect the Ca rates will skyrocket within the next 15 years.  After all, I catch new grads doing pelvises at 80Kv @ 80mas on 95Lb. ladies, where 80 @ 20 would suffice nicely.  Using 95 @ 150 for a X-Table lat C-Spine on a 125 Lb. 25 Yr old female...........cause they won't have to repeat and they don't know what they are doing.

It's scary boy.

Sick,

Thanks for your suggestions on the agencies. We will give that a try. We have tried Aureus and Resources on call. Resources on call did call back and we were told that they had a hiring freeze. Aureus never responded at all. In our new local area there are seven major hospitals and as of today there was one part-time lead sat and sun position for a rad tech and one prn rad tech position. So much for that Bachelors in healthcare that I just completed this past December!  In VA the night shift CT's were outsourced to Nighthawk being read in Australia. Us old-timers are a dying breed and I am starting to be concerned myself about what caliber of tech will be taking my x-rays when I am at the retiring age and beyond! Technology is definitely better but when you radiate a pelvis at that high a technique it can't result in anything good. 76 @ 25 was always a good starting point for a smallish sized woman for me. So are the school's pushing these techs through purely for the money alone? Given what I learned getting my degree, I think so. Sadly, it is going to impact the whole rad tech world if things don't change. But as is always the case, things rise and fall with our profession. At my age, late 30's, I can't afford to try and compete with a younger and cheaper model. So that leaves me with more student loans and a career where I will be in demand and can choose whatever specialization I want. That being said, I hope all student's or prospective students seriously research and talk to current techs before they decide on this career at this time. They could end up like me with a degree, student loans, and no where to go with it. I am sad to say I will miss radiology to the depths of my soul and it is all I know and have known and it will always be my first love as a career. Good Luck to those looking for rad tech work, both student and non-student.

XRAYNU 

I think the schools have not come to terms with the job market as it currently presents. They geared up for the upcoming shortage, and have not cut back to reflect the job opportunities. The area I graduated from had 4 community college programs and one hospital based program. This was in a 4 county area of west central Florida. As you would expect, several students did not have jobs in xray upon, or even months after graduation.  I have since moved, and here there are only two programs, one 2 year college program and one private (for profit) school.  Similarly, the area has problems supporting even this number of new grads as the jobs just aren't there.  Many end up taking per diem positions, and hoping for calls. This really hits the grads from the private school, as tuition for the 2 year program is over $26,000.00 and student loans must be repaid.

 

 I say good for em.  Either the schools lied to these students or they were too dumb to ask about the job market.  I write to my Congress, state and colleges and tellt hem to lay off with all the students.  They are robbing these students as they are SOL about getting a FT, esp. day shift job.

 Get used to it.  It's all about $$...........like everything else.  65% of new students shouldn't be working as techs.  They're marginal, at best.

I'm either going into auto mechanics, dental hygeine, respiratory therapy or going for broke and going to law school.......................looks like bankruptcy law will be booming soon.

Radiology is dead..................and CR and DR killed it.

You are so correct. I just graduated as a NMT and I can't find anything unless I speak creole or spanish. My classmates were subpar and have yet to pass any of the exams. Schools here in Florida are pupming students out like rabbits on a farm. I can't express my frustration more. I was the only person in my class to have any science or medical background and I tried very hard to tutor my fellow idiots...but to no avail. They still do not know the structure of an atom. I am baffled beyond comprehension. I have 8 years in the PET field and can't even land a job as a per diem tech. We need to make this field a minimum of a bachelors degree and soon. With more of an emphasis on science and clinical skills. Hell I tought somebody how to do a simple bone scan and he couldn't identify for me the vertebre...c'mon people!

any websites you know of that list average techniques to use?

 

on fuji cassettes and regular film

 

i need to perfect my techniques

What's even worse is that these x-rays schools are telling students that if the get their Bachelors they will get paid more than the staff technologist. I got into this discussion with a couple of students last week, and at first they didn't believe me but after I got told them to talk to the department manager their eyes are now wide open. I also showed them the newspaper and several web sites for the area that list local jobs or more realisticly the lack thereof. Needless to say they are less than encouraged. The director of the program was not happy with me, but I don't care. I'm just telling them the truth. These schools just want to get more money out of the these students. Don't get me started on these online programs, which IMO, are ripping off potential students. Every single hospital in my area has a contract with a Radiology school and there is no way they would accept an online student.

I decided to go back to school to get a degree with real job potential (IT) and will be moving on within the next couple of years. I have no regrets about about becoming a diagnostic technologist, but the field has changed, and not all of it has been in a good way. It's time to move on and the only loser will be the facility that I currently work for. They will be losing a technologist with 10+ years of experience.

---

Ron Mexico

This trend is happening in Nuclear also... I was the only english speaking in my class and the only one who new the basic structure of the atom. It absolutely disgusts me to the point that I refuse to take any students under my wing until I sit down and talk to them a bit. If they can't talk back then they are out! Brutal? yes, Mean? yes but if it were your family member who would you choose?

Hi all,

Any tell me, which site is best for learning more experience about radiology imaging techniques.

If any one know please tell me,I am the student of California University.