Competency assessment for radiology

Two important changes in the past year have addressed the need for ongoing assessment and training of radiologic technologists. Those changes are mandatory continuing education for ARRT-registered technologists and the JCAHO's requirement to assure staff competency. To prepare for a JCAHO inspection, supervisors at Pennsylvania Hospital developed competency checklists for orientation and annual performance appraisals. The checklists included job-specific skills in two areas: equipment and protocols. Sample checklists are reprinted in this article. They cover representative jobs in different areas of radiology: support staff, diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology, computed tomography and nuclear medicine.