Elsevier

Academic Radiology

Volume 10, Issue 3, March 2003, Pages 303-308
Academic Radiology

Special Report
The Radiology Fellowship and Fellowship Match: Current Status

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1076-6332(03)80107-1Get rights and content

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Historical Perspective

Prior to the 1960s, radiologists were generalists. There was no subspecialization in radiology. There were no subspecialist role models and no funding for fellowships. In 1959, Juan Taveras organized the first neuroradiology fellowship at Columbia University with funding from the National Institutes of Health (2). Other fellowship programs soon were developed, modeled after this example and similar programs in Europe. Osteoradiology fellowships have existed since 1977 (3).

During the 1980s and

The Effect of the Radiology Job Market on Fellowships

The radiology job market has an important effect on residents' decision to pursue a fellowship (7). Like other job markets, that in radiology tends to fluctuate cyclically. The market is currently very favorable for those seeking a position. In 1988, in the estimation of the radiologists surveyed, the demand in private practice was increasing, and radiology group practices had begun to hire more graduates. By 1994, there were fewer vacancies in the job market, and in 1995 the hiring rate for

Reasons for Pursuing a Fellowship

During radiology residency, residents are faced with the decision of whether to pursue a fellowship and what fellowship will best suit them. The decision may not be easy, and the resident must weigh the benefits against the costs.

The drawbacks of doing a fellowship are related mainly to time and money. An additional year or more of training is required to complete a fellowship, and during this time, the trainee earns a salary that is only one-third to one-eighth that available in radiologic

The Fellowship Application Process

Inconsistency in the fellowship application process is a long-standing problem. A lack of uniformity in application schedules from institution to institution sometimes creates a situation in which an applicant receives an offer from one program before having had a chance to interview at a more desirable program. If this offer is made with a short deadline for acceptance, the applicant may be forced to choose between taking “the bird in hand” and gambling that a better offer may come later. A

Conclusion and Forecast for the Future

The fellowship match appears to have been successfully implemented, even though many positions still go unfilled because of market conditions. Strong support from the radiology leadership now sustains the match process. The expectation is that the match will be moved back to the fall of the 4th year of residency for all radiology fellowships that begin in July 2005.

Events of the fall of 2001 remind us that the future is uncertain. There is currently a shortage of radiologists, and the

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