title: American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 2012 Workforce Study: the radiation oncologists' and residents' perspectives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) conducted the 2012 Radiation Oncology Workforce Survey to obtain an up-to-date picture of the workforce, assess its needs and concerns, and identify quality and safety improvement opportunities. The results pertaining to radiation oncologists (ROs) and residents (RORs) are presented here.
  
  
  METHODS
  The ASTRO Workforce Subcommittee, in collaboration with allied radiation oncology professional societies, conducted a survey study in early 2012. An online survey questionnaire was sent to all segments of the radiation oncology workforce. Respondents who were actively working were included in the analysis. This manuscript describes the data for ROs and RORs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 3618 ROs and 568 RORs were surveyed. The response rate for both groups was 29%, with 1047 RO and 165 ROR responses. Among ROs, the 2 most common racial groups were white (80%) and Asian (15%), and the male-to-female ratio was 2.85 (74% male). The median age of ROs was 51. ROs averaged 253.4 new patient consults in a year and 22.9 on-treatment patients. More than 86% of ROs reported being satisfied or very satisfied overall with their career. Close to half of ROs reported having burnout feelings. There was a trend toward more frequent burnout feelings with increasing numbers of new patient consults. ROs' top concerns were related to documentation, reimbursement, and patients' health insurance coverage. Ninety-five percent of ROs felt confident when implementing new technology. Fifty-one percent of ROs thought that the supply of ROs was balanced with demand, and 33% perceived an oversupply.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides a current snapshot of the 2012 radiation oncology physician workforce. There was a predominance of whites and men. Job satisfaction level was high. However a substantial fraction of ROs reported burnout feelings. Perceptions about supply and demand balance were mixed. ROs top concerns reflect areas of attention for the healthcare sector as a whole.
authors.affiliation: Indiana University Health East, Indianapolis, Indiana. Electronic address: spohar@iuhealth.org.
authors.forename: Surjeet
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pohar
authors.forename: Claire Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.forename: Shane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Samar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Azawi
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arnone
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olsen
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006123:Group Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006283:Health Physics; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D011331:Private Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D018787:Radiation Oncology; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012449:Safety; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D000078329:Workforce