Where Things Stand with the Radiologist Shortage
A new report conveys the cumulative impact of ongoing challenges with radiologist residency positions, reimbursement, post-COVID-19 attrition rates and the aging of the population upon the persistent shortage of radiologists in the United States.
New research continues to suggest a widening chasm between the increased imaging demand for an aging population and a prevailing shortage of radiologists.
Here are nine takeaways and emerging trends conveyed in a new white paper from the locum tenens staffing services provider Medicus Healthcare Solutions.
- The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) estimates that people 65 years of age and older account for 30 percent of all imaging each year, and the United States Census Bureau projects that 77 million people in the U.S. will be 65 and older by the year 2034.
2. There are currently 13 radiologists per 100,000 people in the U.S. Oklahoma, Mississippi, Nevada and Wyoming have nine radiologists per 100,000 people.
A new report on the radiology shortage estimates that there are currently 13 radiologists per 100,000 people in the United States. (Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.)
3. Approximately 50 percent of job searches conducted for radiologists in 2023 are unfilled, according to the 2024 Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment (AAPPR) Benchmarking Report.
4. Statistics from the 2025 National Resident Match Program reveal that 961 applicants for diagnostic radiology residency positions did not match.
5. The report pointed out that 247 applicants went unmatched in 2025 for residency positions in interventional radiology (IR). From 2010 to 2021, there was a 143 percent increase in IR procedures being performed by nurse practitioners and a 67 percent increase of IR procedures performed by physician assistants. The researchers also noted a nearly 5 percent decline in the 2025 Medicare conversion factor for interventional radiologists.
6. Twenty-nine percent of radiologists have worked locum tenens positions, according to the report.
7. Reportedly 73 percent of radiologists perform remote image interpretation.
8. Only 29 PGY-1 residency positions have been added for diagnostic radiology programs in the last four years.
9. Emphasizing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on radiologist attrition rates, the report authors project 3,116 fewer radiologists in the workforce by the year 2055 in comparison to pre-COVID-19 projections.
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