RadNet Inc. is launching a career training program to help address ongoing staffing shortages in the technologist profession, the company announced Thursday.
Dubbed “ImagingWorks,” the initiative is privately funded by the family trust of RadNet CEO Howard Berger, MD, and his wife, Karen. The publicly traded imaging center operator said it is partnering with workforce development nonprofit and social service agency JVS SoCal to build a pipeline for training imaging professionals.
“With a shortage of qualified healthcare workers, and specifically imaging technologists, our efforts with ImagingWorks will help expand the pool of well-trained people interested in careers within diagnostic imaging,” Berger said in a Feb. 15 announcement.
Los Angeles-based RadNet said it plans to offer internships, along with job placement upon graduation, at its own imaging centers and other similar facilities. The company will initially launch a hybrid, entry-level program, offering training on how to perform bone densitometry exams. Participants also will have the chance to sit for California’s Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry exam and serve as a tech aide to MRI technologists to help prepare for becoming a patient service representative, RadNet said.
ImagingWorks later plans to offer ultrasound and MRI technologist training, along with more complex accreditation through partnerships in other markets. RadNet will initially support students at up to 12 of its clinical sites across Southern California, allowing them to earn income while they learn and gain credentials.
The initiative comes as radiology providers face ongoing challenges hiring techs and other allied health professionals. Last year, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists reported that vacancy rates had hit record highs, including 18% among radiographers. Amid these challenges, hospitals are upping their recruitment game, with one rural provider doling out $20,000 sign-on bonuses for techs. Last month, billionaire Mike Bloomberg announced he was putting up $250 million to open healthcare high schools across the country for training rad techs and other healthcare professionals.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.