When it comes to compensation in the medical imaging and cardiology sectors of healthcare, it’s a real quagmire of a topic. The past two-years have been like no other that I’ve seen in my more than two decades in the recruitment industry. Frankly, I’m happy to see my friends and colleagues get paid what they’re worth. There have been no shortages of dollars being offered to nursing staff and other mid-level providers over the years, so it’s about time that folks in the radiology and cardiology field share in the rewards. However, it’s not real black and white when it comes to current pay rates. I don’t know how many times I’m asked by a random tech, “how much does that job pay?” Frankly, it’s not a very well thought out question. Believe me, I know pay is important to everyone. However, if I told you that I could get you a $10/hr pay increase, but the facility and job was a trainwreck, would you still think it’s a good deal?
Is Pay the Only Factor for Job Satisfaction in Radiology and Cardiology?
So, what should you be paid these days? Great question! Sure, wages have gone up in most parts of the country, but being satisfied with a career still comes down to more than the pay. Is making top dollar worth your health? Your sanity? Your family time? Is it worth being abused by management and working yourself to death because they can’t attract staff? Maybe it is to some, but I will asure you it’s the minority. So, the questions should be, “does your job pay well for the area and how is the work/life balance of this particular role”? That question would make more sense to the vast majority of people, but yet it’s never asked.
The 2023 Radiology Jobs & Compensation Review – What Can We Expect?
The reason I wanted to touch on this subject is because we will soon be releasing our 2023 Radiology Jobs & Compensation Review. This will be our 19th release of this annual report, and it should be interesting to see what the numbers reveal. Last years’ report revealed double digit increases in some modalities, and I suspect we’ll see similar numbers this year as well. The demand for CT Techs, Rad Techs and Cath Lab Techs have skyrocketed since the pandemic, and the supply of technologists has yet to catch up with demand. Frankly, it may never catch up. The perfect storm of an already depleted workforce, Covid-19, vaccine mandates, retirement, and people leaving the profession as a result of these factors has caused major problems for many organizations that are trying to staff their departments. So, what happens? Employers begin throwing money at the situation. But did it help? The short answer is, maybe?
Is Money the Only Solution for Staffing Shortages?
I tend to believe that throwing money at things does usually help. In this case however, many of our clients gave across the board raises, retention bonuses, and other incentives. But they are still struggling to find and retain staff. So, this tells me that money is not really the core issue, but maybe just a erroneous solution that many try to use to resolve issues that descend deeply into the foundation of the organization. Bad management, on-call issues, bad schedules and toxic employees are all more palpable than low pay. So, if these types of issues exist within your department, the amount of money you make will only satisfy you in the short-term, most likely.
If you’re reading this, check back here in a few weeks and let’s see what the numbers read. I’m betting it’ll be eye-opening to many of us. Congratulations to those of you who have weathered the crazy storm that is healthcare over the past couple of years. You are appreciated around here.
