[Investigation of academic degrees sought by radiological technologists]

This study attempted to clarify whether medical radiological technologists of the Japanese Society of Radiological Technology in Gunma sought to obtain Bachelor degrees and Master of Science degrees. In September 2005, a postal questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 153 technologists, and 68.0% (104/153) of the questionnaires were returned. The percentage of respondents who wished to obtain a degree was 25.0% (26/104) . The first reason for wishing to obtain a degree was to improve the quality of their work 47.8% (11/23) . Moreover, 28.8% (30/104) of respondents indicated a desire to obtain a master's degree. A total of 103 respondents indicated the subject they wished to study: 45.6% (47/103) indicated their own specific area, and 34.0% (35/103) indicated clinical psychology. The results of the survey showed that a high ratio of radiological technologists in Gunma would like to obtain an advanced degree. Even the radiological technologists who did not wish to obtain an advanced degree indicated their desire to continue in more specialized areas of radiology. The above investigation suggested some ways to implement lifelong education at the Gunma Prefectural College of Health Sciences.