Workforce planning, staffing and education requirements for radiation therapists (RTTs) in the European Union as part of the EU-REST project

Background: The European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), together with other relevant European societies, took part in a recent project focused on workforce availability, education and staffing in medical applications of radiation in the European Union (EU). The required output of the project was to define policy guidelines for the EU on appropriate education and training and workforce planning standards for professionals working in medical applications of radiation. Methodology: Data on workforce and education and training across specialties in the EU were collected using pre-survey and survey methodologies. The surveys were sent to national organisations and competent authorities, national professional societies, national radiation protection authorities through the Heads of the European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities (HERCA) and national medical associations/chambers through European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS).A scoping literature review on both workforce planning and education and training requirements for all specialties was also conducted to inform the policy guidelines. Results: In this paper, we report on the results and policy recommendations on education and training (with a specific focus on radiation protection) and workforce planning for radiation therapists (RTTs) in the EU. The project highlighted the limited radiation therapy-specific content in the education of radiation therapists across the EU, with some notable exceptions. It also highlighted the absence of workforce planning for radiation therapists, which is likely contributing to the current shortfall both in the EU and globally. Conclusion: RTTs are core members of the radiation oncology team and treatment cannot be delivered in their absence. From this project, it is recommended that the EU prioritise education and training for radiation therapists with a particular separation on radiation protection education from other specialties. Activity-based workforce modelling for radiation therapists is recommended to flexibly accommodate the varied roles and responsibilities of RTTs across the EU.