What was just announced
On September 15, 2026, DeVry University and Pulse Radiology Institute announced a hybrid MRI Technology associate degree specialization, reported by AuntMinnie and detailed in the partners' press release. The 18-month program pairs DeVry's coursework with Pulse's nationwide clinical-placement network: students secure a clinical site before enrolling, then move into hands-on MRI training in their third semester. Accreditation and other regulatory approvals were pending at announcement.
DeVry's Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Jason Horne, framed it plainly: "The demand for skilled MRI technologists is creating both a workforce challenge and meaningful career opportunities." Edcetera CEO Nader Qaimari added that the partnership "reflects our mission to help professionals advance in licensed careers." Pulse cites its own track record as the delivery mechanism — a 95% registry exam pass rate, 92% retention, and 74% on-time graduation as of June 30, 2025.
The shortage behind it is real. The American Society of Radiologic Technologists' most recent staffing survey, covered by AuntMinnie, put the national MRI technologist vacancy rate at 17.4% in 2025 — a near-record high, up from 16.2% in 2023. CT technologist vacancy climbed even further, to 19.4% in 2025 from 17.7% in 2023, an all-time high for that role. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 8% job growth for MRI technologists through 2035 — nearly triple the average for all occupations — with median pay of $95,480, as cited in the partners' release.
Two shortages, not one
Imaging has two labor-constrained stages, and they don't move together. The first is acquisition: someone has to run the scanner, position the patient, and operate the sequence. That's the technologist shortage this new degree targets, and it responds normally to workforce economics — strong pay, above-average job growth, and now a purpose-built training pipeline with a hybrid, clinical-placement-first model designed to get more people credentialed faster.
The second stage is reporting: every completed scan still needs a radiologist to interpret it and produce a signed report. That stage doesn't have an equivalent pipeline fix in motion. Radiology residency positions are capped by CMS-funded slots and expand far more slowly than either imaging volume or the technologist workforce serving it. Training more people to run scanners increases the number of studies entering the reporting queue — it does not add anyone to work through that queue.
What the supply-and-demand data actually says
Two companion studies published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology in February 2025 modeled both sides of this gap through 2055. On supply, using a base of 37,482 radiologists enrolled to bill Medicare in 2023, the radiologist workforce is projected to grow 25.7% by 2055 if residency positions do not increase beyond 2024 levels, or 40.3% if they do (Christensen et al., JACR, 2025).
On demand, the companion study projects overall imaging utilization 16.9% to 26.9% higher by 2055 than in 2023, depending on modality, under a baseline scenario — and up to 45.2% higher by 2055 if the recent utilization growth trend seen through 2030 continues, rather than utilization reverting to the study's baseline trajectory. Population growth accounts for 73% to 88% of that increase across modalities, with population aging responsible for the rest (Christensen et al., JACR, 2025).
Put the two side by side and the best-case supply growth roughly tracks baseline demand growth over three decades — meaning today's shortage is projected to persist, not close, even under favorable residency assumptions, and before accounting for any new technologist capacity feeding more studies into that same pipeline.
Acquisition-side fix vs. reporting-side gap
| Dimension | Acquisition (MRI technologists) | Reporting (radiologists) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 vacancy rate | 17.4% (near-record high) | Not tracked the same way — constrained by fixed residency slots, not open postings |
| Projected growth | 8% job growth through 2035 (BLS) | 25.7–40.3% supply growth by 2055 (JACR) |
| New training pipeline in 2026 | Yes — DeVry/Pulse hybrid 18-month degree | No equivalent announced; residency growth is slow and CMS-capped |
| Demand it feeds | More scanners staffed, more studies acquired | Imaging utilization projected 16.9–26.9% higher by 2055 |
Where xAID fits
Fixing the technologist shortage is good news for imaging access — more staffed scanners mean shorter waits to get a study done. But it shifts more volume onto a reporting stage that isn't expanding at the same pace. AI CT and MRI report drafting is built for that exact seam: it turns a completed study into a structured, comprehensive draft the moment acquisition finishes, so a growing technologist workforce doesn't just create a longer line at the radiologist's worklist. xAID's in-house radiologist reviews every preliminary before it reaches the client's reading radiologist, who signs the final — the AI adds reporting throughput, it doesn't remove the radiologist from the loop.
Frequently asked questions
How bad is the MRI technologist shortage?
The American Society of Radiologic Technologists' 2025 staffing survey put the national MRI technologist vacancy rate at 17.4%, up from 16.2% in 2023 and described as a near-record high. CT technologist vacancy climbed further, to 19.4% in 2025 from 17.7% in 2023, an all-time high for that role.
What did DeVry and Pulse Radiology Institute announce?
DeVry University and Pulse Radiology Institute launched a hybrid, 18-month MRI Technology associate degree specialization aimed at the MRI technologist vacancy rate. Students complete online coursework, secure a clinical placement through Pulse's partner network before enrolling, and start hands-on clinical training in their third semester. The program's approvals, including accreditation, were pending at announcement.
Does training more MRI technologists fix radiology's capacity problem?
It fixes one part of it. More technologists mean more scanners can run more studies, which is a genuine and separate labor shortage. But every one of those studies still needs to be read and reported by a radiologist. Published projections show radiologist supply growing 25.7% to 40.3% by 2055 depending on residency growth, while imaging utilization is projected to rise 16.9% to 26.9% over the same period — and faster if recent utilization trends continue. Adding technologists increases the volume moving into that reporting queue without adding capacity to clear it.
Where does AI fit into the reporting side of this gap?
AI CT and MRI report drafting adds capacity at the exact stage that technologist training doesn't touch: turning an acquired study into a structured, ready-to-sign report. It doesn't replace the radiologist — xAID's in-house radiologist reviews every AI-generated preliminary before it reaches the client's reading radiologist, who signs the final — but it shortens the path from scan-complete to report-signed, which is where volume actually piles up.
Source: AuntMinnie, "DeVry, Pulse Radiology Institute Launch MRI Technology Degree" (2026); PR Newswire partnership release; AuntMinnie coverage of the ASRT staffing survey; Christensen et al., "Projected US Radiologist Supply, 2025 to 2055," Journal of the American College of Radiology (2025), doi.org/10.1016/j.jacr.2024.10.019; Christensen et al., "Projected US Imaging Utilization, 2025 to 2055," Journal of the American College of Radiology (2025), doi.org/10.1016/j.jacr.2024.10.017. Figures are rounded as reported.