The biennial report shows a drop in unfilled positions compared to 2024, though budgeted therapist roles per facility saw a slight dip.
Vacancy rates for radiation therapists and medical dosimetrists have decreased, according to the biennial ASRT Radiation Therapy Workplace and Staffing Survey. The 2026 vacancy rate for radiation therapists dropped to 11.4% from 13.6% in 2024, and the rate for medical dosimetrists fell to 6.8% from 9.6% over the same period.
The survey, which tracks the number of unfilled positions actively being recruited, provides data to help employers make informed decisions and serves as a catalyst for strategies to address the ongoing workforce shortage in medical imaging and radiation therapy.
“ASRT is leading action to address workforce shortages through work groups from the Consensus Committee on the Future of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, the Be Seen public awareness campaign, and the Planting Seeds outreach initiative, which encourages students to enter the professional pipeline,” says Melissa Culp, MEd, RT(R)(MR), ASRT executive vice president of member engagement, in a release.
Changes in Staffing Levels
The survey also tracked longitudinal changes in budgeted staffing levels. The average number of full-time equivalent (FTE) radiation therapist positions budgeted at each facility decreased slightly from 8.3 in 2024 to 8.1 in 2026. Conversely, the number of FTE dosimetrist positions budgeted per facility increased from 2.7 in 2024 to 2.8 in 2026.
Over a 22-year period, the average number of FTE therapists budgeted per facility has grown from 6.0 in 2004 to 8.1 in 2026. During the same period, the number of FTE dosimetrists budgeted per facility increased from 1.6 to 2.8.
ASRT emailed the biennial survey in February 2026 to 23,145 radiation therapists and medical dosimetrists. At the close of the survey in March 2026, 560 respondents had completed the questionnaire, for a response rate of 2.4%. At its widest, a sample size of 560 yields a margin of error of ± 4.1% for overall percentages at the 95% confidence level.
