Graduates speak: the employment experience of 1995 graduates of diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology training programs.

Abstract

To determine the initial employment experience of 1995 graduates of radiology programs. A questionnaire was mailed to all graduates of radiation oncology programs and to a stratified, random sample of 600 graduates of diagnostic radiology programs. The final response rate was 66%. After graduation, 4%-10% of graduates worked for a period as locum tenens, worked in a job unrelated to radiology, or were unemployed. Immediate postgraduation unemployment was 2%-5%; 7-12 months later, it was less than 0.5%. Median actual salary was approximately equal to median expected salary. Radiation oncology fellowship graduates often had poorer outcomes. Almost half of the graduates with posttraining employment had a job with at least one characteristic regarded as unfavorable by some commentators (most commonly, undesirable location or no opportunity to become a partner), and at least one-fifth had and disliked such a characteristic. Geographic constraints, including the need to find employment for a spouse or companion, did not adversely affect employment outcome. Eventual unemployment was low, and starting salaries have not collapsed. Generally, the implications of job characteristics are best assessed by monitoring trends, but the prevalence of non-partnership track employment may well have increased.