The ASRT is seeking qualified members interested in being nominated to serve on the International Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technologists as a regional coordinator.

The duties, qualifications and time commitments required for this opening are available through the link below:

Please contact ASRT Volunteer Services at [email protected] with any questions or concerns. To see all current positions available, visit the Open Volunteer Opportunities page.

The ASRT House of Delegates has elected Ashley M. Smith, M.H.A., R.T.(R)(MR), as speaker of the House and Carmen George, M.S.R.S., R.T.(R), as vice speaker of the House..

Smith is the clinical imaging specialist at Franciscan Health in Indiana. George is the radiology regulatory coordinator for Baton Rouge General Medical Center in Louisiana.

Smith and George are members of the ASRT Board of Directors. They will manage the House of Delegates proceedings during the 2027 ASRT Annual Governance and House of Delegates Meeting.

Ashley M. Smith, M.H.A., R.T.(R)(MR)

Carmen George, M.S.R.S., R.T.(R)

The ASRT Museum and Archives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, now offers onsite visitors a video tour of its one-of-a-kind museum. Visitors can explore the museum at their own pace using a handheld device with headphones to learn about the 131-year history of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists and the medical imaging and radiation therapy profession.

The video tour features 17 stops narrated by ASRT Museum and Archives Executive Director Bill Brennan, M.A., R.T.(R)(CT). “Typically, we prefer to have an on-staff registered technologist give the tour, but this option offers visitors more flexibility,” said Brennan. Appointments for a video tour are required, and guests should expect to spend more than an hour in the museum. The traditional guided tour also remains available by appointment only.

Visitors are introduced to the man who started it all with his discovery of the x-ray, German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen. Key stops on the tour highlight great pioneers, including physicist and chemist Marie Curie and engineer and innovator Nikola Tesla, and detail the military’s influence on the profession. The tour also showcases authentic medical imaging equipment used on the battlefield during three wars.

Another key stop, Healing or Harmful Rays, details medical pioneers, who, for the sake of further discovery, often used their own bodies as test subjects at great personal cost.

To explore the ASRT Museum and Archives’ in-person video tour, send an appointment request to [email protected].

The ASRT Foundation is seeking qualified members interested in serving on the International Speakers and Corporate Sponsored Programs Review Committee.

The duties, qualifications and time commitments required for this opening are available through the link below:

Please contact ASRT Volunteer Services at [email protected] with any questions or concerns. To see all current positions available, visit the Open Volunteer Opportunities page.

The ASRT is seeking a qualified member interested in serving on the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Force Addressing Barriers to Energy Savings in Imaging.

The duties, qualifications and time commitments required for this opening are available through the following link:

Please contact ASRT Volunteer Services at [email protected] with any questions or concerns. To see all current positions available, visit the Open Volunteer Opportunities page.

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists is hosting the inaugural National Radiologic Technologist Day of Action on Aug. 13, the anniversary of when the Consumer-Patient Radiation Health and Safety Act became law in 1981. ASRT leaders are speaking to elected officials in Washington, D.C., and are encouraging medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals to contact their state leaders through the Advocacy Action Center, to advocate for consistent education, training and competency standards.

The Consumer-Patient Radiation Health and Safety Act’s goal was to establish minimum standards by the federal government for the accreditation of education programs and certification, and to ensure that medical and dental radiologic procedures are consistent with rigorous safety precautions and standards. Although the law passed, legislators required the standards to be voluntary. Therefore, states were not required to incorporate standards.

Now, 45 years later, there are still many states that do not require nationally recognized educational, training and competency standards to practice as a medical imaging or radiation therapy professional.

ASRT has launched the Guide to the Fellows Application Process and Procedure video, to help applicants complete the Fellows application process. The 2023-2024 Committee on Fellows developed the guide to streamline the application process. The comprehensive video walks applicants through the best practices and essential steps to become an ASRT Fellow.

The designation of Fellow represents an exemplary leader who has contributed significantly to the ASRT and the medical imaging and radiation therapy profession. ASRT began recognizing Fellows in 1956.

Candidates interested in becoming a Fellow in 2026 can submit their applications until Aug. 1, 2025. To learn more, watch the video and start your application at asrt.org/fellows. See the video guide below:

Apply today and take the first step toward becoming an ASRT Fellow.

To kick off the presidential initiatives of ASRT President Heather Moore, Ph.D., R.T.(R), leaders from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central New Mexico met with ASRT’s staff in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sept. 6, to highlight the BBBS program and outline volunteer opportunities. “ASRT will promote Big Brothers Big Sisters to its staff and members so they can learn about the organization and hopefully participate,” said Dr. Moore.

In addition to the presentation, ASRT is hosting tours of the ASRT Museum and Archives for BBBS area youth and their adult brothers or sisters in Albuquerque starting on Oct. 10. Students can dive into the rich history of medical imaging and radiation therapy, learn about the profession and interact with the museum’s computerized displays.

The BBBS collaboration is one of Dr. Moore’s three presidential initiatives, which are focused on the current workforce shortage, developing best practices for patient care and introducing middle and high school students to the profession. “I’m confident that my initiatives, combined with ASRT’s resources, will result in positive outcomes for the Society and medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals. Join me as we make a difference in our personal and professional lives,” said Dr. Moore.

The next episode of ASRT’s podcast, “The RAD Position,” airs on Sept. 16, and features ASRT member, actor and producer Michael John Benzaia, M.B.A., R.T.(R)(CT).

Benzaia is one of the faces of ASRT’s Be Seen campaign, an initiative to raise the visibility of medical imaging and radiation therapy professionals.

Benzaia talks about why he became a radiologic technologist, his transition into acting and starring in the Be Seen commercial, which aired on NBC and USA Network during the U.S. Olympic trials and during NBCUniversal primetime programs. “This campaign has just been really fun to be involved with, and I see the tangible difference that we’re making real time,” said Benzaia.

“The Rad Position” is a monthly podcast hosted by ASRT CEO and Executive Director Melissa B. Pergola, Ed.D., R.T.(R)(M), FASRT, CAE, and is available on Spotify, Apple and other streaming platforms. It features guests from the medical imaging and radiation therapy profession, including members of the ASRT Board of Directors, ASRT staff, medical imaging and radiation therapy experts, and others.

Visit the website to share how you discovered the profession. If you are a patient, tell us about your interactions with medical imaging and radiation therapy heroes. Your story may be featured on an upcoming episode. Archived episodes with transcripts are available at this link.

The 2024 vacancy rate for radiation therapists increased to 13.6% while the vacancy rate for medical dosimetrists decreased to 9.6%, according to the ASRT Radiation Therapy Workplace and Staffing Survey. This is compared to a 10.7% vacancy rate for radiation therapists and 11.4% for medical dosimetrists in 2022.

Vacancy rates represent the number of unfilled positions that are actively being recruited. The increase in vacancy rates in medical imaging and radiation therapy captured in ASRT’s staffing surveys has served as a catalyst for the Society to work with peer organizations to develop strategies to address the current workforce shortage.

"In February 2024, ASRT, American Registry of Radiologic Technologists and Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology co-hosted the Consensus Committee on the Future of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, which included representatives from 15 organizations spanning the profession. From this meeting, sponsoring organizations are actively collaborating to address workforce shortages by 1) articulating career pathways, 2) creating a pipeline from formal education programs to the workplace and 3) expanding opportunities for education and training that meets the emerging needs of students. Through this work, ASRT is taking steps to advocate for the medical imaging and radiation therapy profession and to support workforce and staffing," said Melissa Culp, M.Ed., R.T.(R)(MR), executive vice president of member engagement.

The survey also tracks longitudinal changes in staffing levels in radiation therapy and medical dosimetry. For example, the average number of full-time equivalent radiation therapist positions budgeted at each facility rose from 7.3 in 2022 to 8.3 in 2024.

Overall, the average number of FTE therapists budgeted per facility has increased by 2.3 during a 20-year period — from 6.0 in 2004 to 8.3 in 2024. The number of FTE dosimetrist positions budgeted per facility rose from 2.4 in 2022 to 2.7 in 2024. Overall, the number of FTE dosimetrists budgeted per facility has increased by 1.1 during a 20-year period — from 1.6 in 2004 to 2.7 in 2024.

ASRT emailed the biennial survey in May 2024 to 22,892 radiation therapists and medical dosimetrists. At the close of the survey in June 2024, 645 respondents from all U.S. states, except Montana, had submitted completed questionnaires for a response rate of 2.8%.