By fall 2008, registered technologists and students will have free access to an online educational program on digital imaging. The program is being developed through an ARRT and ASRT Education and Research Foundation collaboration called Online Digital Imaging Academy, or ODIA.

The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists is providing the funding that makes the ODIA program possible and the Education and Research Foundation of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists is developing the educational components.

Announcing the program at ASRT's June 2007 annual meeting, ARRT President Anne Chapman, R.T.(R)(N), CNMT, termed the growth of digital and computed radiography "one of the most significant changes in our profession" in recent years. "The film-screen environment we've known for so long has been rapidly giving way to this new technology," she noted, "but this innovation has created challenges for the profession."

Students in educational programs need to learn about DR/CR, but educators haven't had ready access to appropriate materials to help teach, according to Chapman. "R.T.s in practice are working with DR/CR," she added, "but need to learn more than is possible to absorb from the applications training provided by equipment manufacturers, and they need to be able to fit the learning opportunities into their busy schedules."
ARRT and ASRT will announce more details on the Online Digital Imaging Academy as program development proceeds toward fall 2008 availability. In the meantime, both organizations will periodically update the www.arrt.org and www.asrt.org Web sites.