Admission requirements for radiography programs.
BACKGROUND
Radiography program applicants far outnumber available class capacity in many programs. Educational accountability requires that programs justify their admission practices, work to retain all qualified students and evaluate their attrition rates. Thus, radiography programs are interested in identifying the best candidates for admission.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this small survey study was to document admission requirements of entry-level programs in radiography accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) in Oklahoma and Texas.


METHODS
A 14-question survey was sent to 45 JRCERT-accredited entry-level radiography programs in Oklahoma and Texas. The survey included questions concerning program demographics, admission criteria and admission practices.


RESULTS
Cumulative grade point average, interviews, successful completion of math and science courses, and performance on standardized tests were the most commonly used admission criteria, although no criteria were used by all of the programs surveyed.


CONCLUSIONS
The current study is the first step toward identifying the most effective admission criteria for radiography programs. Future research should examine the correlation of specific admission criteria with program success (ie, program retention, program completion and professional certification).
Espen
Deborah
D
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, USA.
Wright
Donna Lee
DL
Killion
Jeff
J
D004521:Educational Measurement; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D009825:Oklahoma; D012570:School Admission Criteria; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013679:Technology, Radiologic / Q000193:education*; D013781:Texas