How well do we represent ourselves: an analysis of musculoskeletal radiology fellowships website content in Canada and the USA.

Abstract

Radiology residents review information available on fellowship program websites for shortlisting programs and for applying for fellowships. The aim of this study was to evaluate the comprehensiveness of musculoskeletal (MSK) fellowship program websites. The content of US and Canadian MSK fellowship program websites was evaluated using 25 distinct criteria in the following domains: application, recruitment, research, clinical, education, clinical work, benefits. Programs without websites were excluded from analysis. In Canada and the USA, there were 100 MSK fellowship programs, 90 of them having dedicated websites. The average score across all programs was 9.5/25 or 38%. The most comprehensive program included 18/25 items or 72%. The least comprehensive program included only 1/25 items or 4%. The median score across all programs was 9/25 or 36%.More programs included information on the application process (65.5/90, 72.8%; SD 24.7%) than in education/research (24/90, 26.7%; SD 17.3%) or incentives (12.5/90, 13.9%; SD 7.8%).Mean scores amongst US schools did not differ based on geographical distribution (p = 0.32), although they did by rank; schools ranked in the bottom tier scored lower than the unranked, middle, and top tier schools (p < 0.05). The majority of MSK fellowship program websites are not comprehensive. Areas that needed the most improvement include incentives, education/research, clinical teaching, and recruitment information. Addressing these insufficiencies can help programs in easing the application process for prospective fellows and enhance recruitment.