Although a record number of medical students are pursuing radiology, a bottleneck is preventing many from becoming radiologists, the Radiological Society of North America said in a Dec. 5 article on its website.
Ten years ago, applications for radiology dipped, but that is no longer the case. Amita Kamath, MD, an abdominal radiologist with expertise in body MRI at New York City-based Mount Sinai and program director of the radiology residency program at Mount Sinai West, said during her seven years as program director, applications have doubled from 600 to 1,200. Part of the increase is attributed to younger generations prioritizing work-life balance and flexible schedules.
Yet despite this surge in applications, the number of graduate medical education training positions for radiology has remained flat for 30 years.
"It's really difficult to increase the number of trainees without a significant increase in federal funding," Dr. Kamath said. "We need across-the-board funding increases for all specialties facing shortages to grow and expand training programs."
In addition to the shortage of GME positions, academic institutions face a decline in faculty members willing to participate in teams and engage in academic work. Competition for graduating residents has also increased as more specialties reduce hours, raise salary packages and offer virtual capacity.
Potential solutions, according to the Radiological Society of North America, could include enticing retirees to re-engage, hiring physician extenders, offering part-time positions and acquiring more GME slots for radiology residents.