The 20,000 Student Problem: Reimagining Radiology Education Pathways with Geoffrey Roche

Medical imaging faces a workforce crisis that cannot be solved with short-term staffing fixes. In this episode of Rethink Imaging, Chris St. John speaks with Geoffrey Roche, SVP of Healthcare at RizePoint, about why imaging remains a hidden profession, why more than 20,000 students sit on waiting lists every year, and how outdated accreditation models are limiting access to care. Geoffrey shares a systems-level view of workforce development, drawing from his experience across hospital systems, higher education, Siemens Healthineers, and global health education. The conversation explores apprenticeships, imaging assistants, retention challenges, and why imaging must evolve its training pathways if it wants a sustainable future.

The imaging workforce shortage is not a pipeline problem. It is a systems problem.

Geoffrey Roche joins Rethink Imaging to unpack why thousands of students want to enter imaging every year but never get the chance, and how that bottleneck directly affects patient access, technologist burnout, and long-term retention.

He explains why imaging remains one of healthcare’s most essential yet least visible professions, even excluded from “essential worker” recognition during COVID. Geoffrey outlines how rigid educational models and accreditation rules have prevented imaging from adopting the same apprenticeship and learn-and-earn pathways that nursing and respiratory therapy already use.

The discussion dives into practical solutions, including imaging medical assistants, employer-sponsored education, and workforce pathways that allow students to work while earning credentials. Geoffrey also addresses why retention matters just as much as recruitment, and how shift work, physical demands, and life-stage realities impact technologists today.

Throughout the episode, the focus stays grounded in access to care. When workforce systems say “no” to new pathways, Geoffrey argues, they are also saying no to students who want to enter the profession and patients who are waiting for scans.

This conversation reframes imaging workforce strategy as a leadership issue, one that requires collaboration between health systems, educators, accreditors, and industry partners to build sustainable, future-ready solutions.

What You’ll Learn:

Why more than 20,000 imaging students sit on waiting lists every year
How workforce shortages directly impact patient access to imaging
Why imaging is still considered a “hidden” healthcare profession
What imaging can learn from nursing and respiratory therapy apprenticeships
How imaging medical assistants could expand access and improve retention
Why accreditation models are limiting workforce innovation
What sustainable workforce solutions actually look like in imaging

Chapters:

[00:00] Why Imaging Workforce Shortages Are a Systems Problem
[03:40] Early Career Influences and Workforce Philosophy
[08:45] The Shift from Hospital Administration to Education Reform
[11:56] Why Imaging Is a Hidden but Essential Profession
[16:09] Imaging’s Role in Care Delivery and COVID Recognition
[20:49] The 20,000 Student Waiting List Problem
[24:18] Why Apprenticeships Are Being Blocked
[29:26] What Real Industry–Education Partnerships Look Like
[33:04] The Future of the Imaging Profession