Results of the 2019 Survey of the American Alliance of Academic Chief Residents in Radiology

Abstract

An annual survey of chief residents in accredited North American radiology programs is conducted by the American Alliance of Academic Chief Residents in Radiology (A3CR2). The purpose of this study is to summarize the 2019 A3CR2 chief resident survey. An online survey was distributed to chief residents from 194 Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education-accredited radiology residencies. Questions were designed to gather information about residency program details, call and weekend coverage, interventional radiology training, fellowship, social media use, healthcare reform, artificial intelligence, and job market status. One hundred and forty-two unique responses from 99 programs were provided, yielding a 51% program response rate. There was a mean of 7.3 women per residency with a mean program size of 28 residents (26% women). Only 3 of the 99 (3%) programs had a proportion of women that was 50% or higher. The proportion of women in radiology residencies is unchanged since 2014 (p= 0.93) and is significantly lower than 2019 graduating women medical students (49.3%; p < 0.001). Thirty-five percent of programs had 24/7 attending coverage and 40% of programs had extended hours attending shifts. Of programs without 24/7 attending coverage, the proportion of programs without face-to-face readout has increased from 34% in 2014 to 55% in 2019 (p = 0.015). The majority (67%) of respondents had no concerns about the radiology job market; compared to 2014, where only 4% had no concerns (p < 0.001). Women remain underrepresented in radiology, face-to-face readout is decreasing, and there has been a shift towards a positive job market outlook.