• John Culbertson, Kira Carbonneau, and Myke Kudlas.
• American Society of Radiologic Technologists, Albuquerque, NM, USA. jculbertson@asrt.org
• J Am Coll Radiol. 2012 May 1; 9 (5): 358-62.

PurposeConsidering the cyclical nature of shortages and oversupplies of staffing levels in the labor force, an accurate prediction of future demand for personnel is of great importance. Historically, the profession of radiation therapy has been plagued with these cycles. This study establishes state population as a strong predictor of radiation therapy staffing levels.MethodsA linear regression analysis was performed to determine the association between state population and radiation therapy staffing levels from 2002 to 2010.ResultsState population is a significant and substantial predictor variable for the number of actively employed and registered radiation therapists, with 89.5% to 91.4% of the variance accounted for from 2002 to 2010.ConclusionsAdditional research in estimating future demand in radiation therapy is possible. By monitoring change in state population, health care professionals can proactively address cycles of shortages and oversupplies in staffing levels.Copyright © 2012 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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