Rationale and Objectives
The purpose of this study is to determine how the motivations to pursue a career in radiology differ by gender. In addition, the influence of medical school radiology education will be assessed.
Materials and Methods
Radiology applicants to our institution from the 2015–2016 interview season were offered an online survey in February 2016. Respondents scored the influence of 24 aspects of radiology on their decision to pursue radiology. Comparisons were made between male and female respondents. Respondents were also asked the type of medical school radiology education they received and to score the influence this experience had on their decision to pursue radiology.
Results
There were 202 total respondents (202/657) including 47 women and 155 men. Compared to men, the following factors had a more negative impact on women: flexible work hours ( P = 0.04), work environment ( P = 0.04), lifestyle ( P = 0.04), impact on patient care ( P = 0.05), high current debt load ( P = 0.02), gender distribution of the field ( P = 0.04), and use of emerging/advanced technology ( P = 0.02). In contrast, women felt more favorably about the opportunities for leadership ( P = 0.04) and research ( P < 0.01).
Dedicated radiology exposure was as follows: 20% ( n = 20) none, 48% ( n = 96) preclinical exposure, 55% ( n = 111) elective rotation, and 18% ( n = 37) core rotation. More intensive radiology exposure via a core rotation had a significantly positive impact on the decision to pursue radiology ( P < 0.01).
Conclusions
Male and female radiology applicants are motivated by different aspects of radiology, which may influence residency recruitment practices. In addition, more intensive radiology exposure has a net positive impact on the decision to pursue radiology.
Introduction
There is a marked disparity in the number of women vs men in diagnostic radiology that has not appreciably changed over time, despite a now equal number of women and men graduating from medical schools in the United States . In 2013, women made up 45.9% of all resident physicians in the United States, but only 26.8% of radiology residents were women . Furthermore, from 2003 to 2013 the percentage of female radiology residents has fallen by approximately 10%, while the percentage of female residents in traditionally male dominant specialties such as general, plastic, and thoracic surgeries has increased by at least 10% . Under-representation of women in radiology is problematic because female patients may not connect as well with male providers and research in women’s health may not receive as much attention . In addition, it has been shown that teams with more women have greater group intelligence, which can lead to greater innovation and scientific discovery . Although gender discrepancy in radiology is a long-standing issue, the reasons behind the static under-representation of women are poorly understood.
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Methods
Survey Development
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Survey Administration
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Statistical Analysis
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Results
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TABLE 1
Survey Questions Posed to Diagnostic Radiology Residency Applicants That Reached Statistical Significance. All Applicants Were Asked to Respond to Each Factor on a 5-Point Likert Scale. P Values Refer to the Results of the Fischer’s Exact Test
How Impactful Were the Following Factors When Deciding on a Career in Radiology? Negative Somewhat Negative Neutral Somewhat Positive Positive_P_ value High current debt load <0.01 Female 1 (13) 4 (6) 4 (66) 13 (9) 25 (6) Male 1 (3) 5 (5) 29 (61) 47 (22) 73 (20) Use of emerging/advanced technology 0.02 Female 0 (0) 2 (4) 6 (13) 12 (26) 27 (57) Male 1 (1) 1 (1) 5 (3) 33 (21) 115 (74) Opportunities for research 0.02 Female 2 (4) 1 (2) 8 (17) 24 (51) 12 (26) Male 1 (1) 2 (1) 73 (47) 42 (27) 37 (24) Lifestyle 0.04 Female 0 (0) 3 (6) 4 (9) 14 (30) 26 (55) Male 1 (1) 0 (0) 8 (5) 55 (35) 91 (59) Impact on patient care 0.04 Female 2 (4) 1 (2) 6 (13) 16 (34) 22 (47) Male 0 (0) 0 (0) 27 (17) 62 (40) 66 (43) Gender distribution of the field 0.04 Female 4 (9) 8 (17) 29 (62) 1 (2) 5 (11) Male 4 (3) 23 (15) 118 (76) 6 (4) 4 (3) Flexible work hours (ability to work part-time) 0.04 Female 1 (2) 3 (6) 8 (17) 13 (28) 22 (47) Male 0 (0) 1 (1) 30 (19) 60 (39) 64 (41) Work environment 0.04 Female 0 (0) 5 (11) 3 (6) 10 (21) 29 (62) Male 0 (0) 3 (2) 11 (7) 53 (34) 88 (57) Opportunities for leadership 0.05 Female 2 (4) 2 (4) 17 (36) 16 (34) 10 (21) Male 0 (0) 3 (2) 80 (52) 49 (32) 23 (15)
Note: Numbers refer to total responses with row percentages in parentheses.
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Discussion
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Appendix 1
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How impactful were the following factors when deciding on a career in radiology? Influence of mentors or colleagues Flexible work hours (ability to work part-time) Competitiveness of application process Perceived job satisfaction Limited patient contact Prestige Job market Salary Physics Gender distribution in the field Opportunities for leadership Opportunities for research Role as a consultant Intellectual stimulation Use of emerging/advanced technology Visual nature of the field Potential exposure to radiation Diversity of pathology and patients Opportunity for procedures High current debt load Interest in anatomy Impact on patient care Lifestyle Work environment
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