title: Managers' perceptions of radiographers' skills: current and future needs.
abstract: As the healthcare delivery system changes, it is imperative to assess the skills of practitioners to ensure consistency between educational preparation and work place needs. The purpose of this study was to examine radiology managers' perception of selected workplace skills and new radiography graduates' ability to perform them. A random sample of 1,932 members of the American Healthcare Radiology Administrators (AHRA) received a questionnaire containing 35 skills categorized as basic, intermediate or advanced. Skills were ranked by the magnitude of the difference between managers' rating of importance of each skill and their rating of graduates' ability to perform that skill satisfactorily. In the basic skill area, the four top-ranked skills represented problem-solving ability or critical thinking. Of the five highest-ranked intermediate skills, the top three were patient care skills: venipuncture, taking vital signs and monitoring patient equipment. In the advanced skill area, six skills exhibited high values for the difference between importance and ability. Two of those related to patient care, three were non-technical and the sixth was the ability to perform CT in addition to basic radiography. Employers and educators should work together to seek educational methods that produce radiographers who are better prepared for the fast-changing workplace.
authors.affiliation: Department of Adult and Community College Education, North Carolina State University, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Akroyd
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wold
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000145:classification / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006740:Hospital Administrators / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011872:Radiology Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013679:Technology, Radiologic / Q000145:classification / Q000193:education / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce