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AAPM DWWSS report 449: Evaluation of imaging physics workforce, workload, and future needs in the United States
Joseph R Steiner1, Shengwen Deng2, Ching-Mei Feng3
1Department of Radiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Introduction:
In 2020, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) conducted a comprehensive imaging physics workforce survey (2020 Survey) to evaluate staffing needs, validate prior time and effort estimates, and explore workforce satisfaction. This report summarizes key findings, highlighting gaps between training and professional demands, challenges in recruitment, and shifts in workforce demographics and employment patterns.
Methods:
The 2020 Survey, administered by the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Statistical Research Center (SRC) to AAPM and Health Physics Society members, had 953 responses from participants who were primarily diagnostic and nuclear medical physicists. The data were analyzed across four key areas: professional task workloads, workforce demographics and retirement outlook, lifestyle factors, and skill gaps.
Results And Discussion:
The AIP SRC analyzed the results of the 2020 Survey (results archived on the AAPM members-only website). The 2020 Survey validated the relative time required for equipment performance evaluations and the wide range of Level 2 services performed by the imaging physics workforce relative to AAPM Report 301. The 2020 Survey showed that the imaging physics workforce is aging (30% of respondents providing their age stated they were 66 years or older) and that many of these individuals could retire within 5 years of completing the survey. Finally, the 2020 Survey demonstrated that there were gaps between the skills and knowledge employers look for when hiring compared to the same self-identified qualities of the imaging physics workforce.
Conclusions:
The 2020 Survey provided insights into the imaging physics workforce that validated prior publications estimating imaging physics workforce activities. The 2020 Survey indicates the imaging physics workforce is aging, with a wave of retirements on the horizon, and that individuals entering the workforce may not possess the skills and knowledge desired by employers. The data from this survey can be used to guide analyses and address future trends of the imaging physics field and workforce.
