Rationale and Objectives
Recent changes in radiology curriculum and access to residency program information, including the introduction of various online resources and the Interventional Radiology integrated pathway, may influence the rank list order of medical student applicants. The purpose of this study is to assess factors that affect the rank lists of medical students applying to our radiology residency program in the 2016-2017 academic year.
Materials and Methods
After IRB approval, an anonymous online 19 question survey was emailed to 622 applicants to our diagnostic radiology and/or interventional radiology integrated pathway. Applicants ranked 35 unique factors that may influence their residency rank list order from 1 (not important at all) to 5 (very important), listed their top five ‘very important’ factors, and ranked various sources of information used to learn about residency programs. General applicant demographic questions were also included.
Results
Response rate was 18.8% (117/622). The 5 most important factors affecting applicant ranking of programs are perceived happiness of the residents and faculty (4.69), fellowship and job placement of recent graduates (4.34), interactions with programs’ current residents (4.33), stability of the department and program (4.29), and geographic location of the program (4.27). The top 5 resources for learning about residency programs were interactions with current residents at the program (4.47), program director (3.87), and interviewing faculty (3.87). Individual program websites were ranked more highly than internet message boards and forums as an information source.
Conclusion
Medical students consider a large number of factors and resources in determining their rank lists, with factors encountered during the interview day playing a significant role in shaping the applicants’ view of a residency program.
INTRODUCTION
Every year, medical students devote significant time and energy organizing their radiology residency rank lists for the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). The factors that play an important role in determining the rank list order are diverse and often outside the control of the residency programs ( ). While candidate selection criteria used by residency program directors are often objective in nature (e.g. class ranking and test scores), medical students often base their rank list order on more subjective criteria ( ). Although the overall candidate interview and matching process has remained essentially unchanged since a 2002 study of rank list factors by Pretorius and Hrung, the interval emergence of online educational resources, digital devices, and web-based information may influence how candidates receive information about various residency programs and how they choose to rank them ( ). In addition, the introduction of the interventional radiology integrated (diagnostic radiology/interventional radiology [DR/IR]) pathway by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in 2013 ( ) is an important change in training paradigm, potentially attracting an applicant pool that values different factors than those applying for the diagnostic radiology (DR) pathway. Though there are recent publications that have described the results of the first integrated DR/IR residency match ( ) as well as evaluate the impact of social media and internet resources on residency training ( ), there are no recent studies that attempt to comprehensively evaluate the importance of various factors and resources in determining radiology residency rank list order in different subsets of applicants, particularly those applying for the DR/IR pathway.
The purpose of this study is to assess the different resources applicants use to learn about residency programs and determine which factors students value most highly when ranking radiology residency programs.
Methods and Materials
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RESULTS
Applicant Demographics
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Table 1
Applicant Demographics
Question Responses ( n = 117) \* Gender Male 73 (62.3%) Female 38 (32.5%) No response 6 (5.1%) Pathway DR only 66 (56.4%) DR/IR 46 (39.3%) No response 5 (4.3%) USMLE Step 1 score 201–215 8 (7.1%) 216–230 22 (19.6%) 231–245 40 (35.7%) 246–260 37 (33.0%) 261+ 5 (4.5%) No response 4 (4.0%) Total post-grad research publications None 12 (10.7%) 1–2 publications 33 (29.5%) 3–4 publications 36 (32.1%) 5–6 publications 10 (8.9%) 7+ publications 21 (18.8%) No response 5 (4.0%) AOA membership Yes 19 (16.2%) No 92 (78.6%) No response 6 (5.1%)
AOA, Alpha Omega Alpha; DR/IR, diagnostic radiology/interventional radiology.
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Factors Affecting Radiology Programs Rankings
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Table 2
Applicant Ranking of Factors
Factor Mean Score ± Standard Dev Perceived happiness of the residents and faculty 4.69 ± 0.57 Fellowship and job placement of recent graduates 4.34 ± 0.83 Interactions with the programs’ current residents 4.33 ± 0.86 Stability of the department and program 4.29 ± 0.66 Geographic location of the program 4.27 ± 1.08 Interactions with the Program Director 4.25 ± 0.84 Interactions with interviewers and faculty 4.23 ± 0.73 Academic reputation of the program 4.22 ± 0.88 Overall quality of the interview day 4.21 ± 0.80 Overall reputation of the hospital/hospital system 4.09 ± 0.82 Strong subspecialty interest within the program 3.78 ± 0.99 Residency curriculum structure 3.66 ± 1.10 Perceived daily resident workload 3.65 ± 0.91 Research opportunities within the program 3.63 ± 1.11 Opportunities to attend national Core Exam review courses 3.48 ± 1.16 Opportunity to attend national/international conferences 3.40 ± 1.04 Quality of Imaging Equipment 3.40 ± 1.11 Size of the program (total number of residents) 3.35 ± 1.07 Residency applicants dinner 3.34 ± 1.17 Preference of family/spouse/partner 3.30 ± 1.43 In-house Core Exam review 3.28 ± 1.14 Available teaching opportunities (medical students, visiting residents) 3.26 ± 1.28 Call schedule of the program 3.20 ± 1.04 Interactions with the Chairman 3.17 ± 1.08 Online residency program rankings 3.13 ± 1.20 Dedicated time allotted for research 3.09 ± 1.14 Moonlighting opportunities 3.06 ± 1.19 Organization/timeliness of correspondence from the program 3.04 ± 1.20 Interview day tour 3.00 ± 1.01 Book fund 2.84 ± 1.07 Resident salary 2.71 ± 1.12 Online discussion/comments about the program 2.67 ± 1.22 Correspondence with the program (Letter of Intent) 2.41 ± 1.32 Presence of a particular faculty member 2.09 ± 1.18 Second-look opportunities available 1.53 ± 0.91
Respondents ( n = 116) ranked information sources on a five-point Likert scale.
Table 3
Applicant Ranking of Radiology Residency Program Information Sources
Resource Mean Score ± Standard Dev Current residents at the program 4.47 ± 0.79 Program director(s) at the program 3.87 ± 0.91 Faculty that interviewed you at the program 3.64 ± 0.83 Residency program website 3.64 ± 1.00 Other faculty members/Program Coordinators at the program 3.13 ± 1.18 Radiology faculty at your medical school 2.99 ± 1.06 Doximity rankings 2.77 ± 1.13 Student Doctor Network/Aunt Minnie forums 2.45 ± 1.17 Classmates applying to radiology from your medical school 2.44 ± 1.09 Students from other medical schools applying to radiology 2.25 ± 1.37 Student Affairs office at your medical school 1.83 ± 1.15
Respondents ( n = 116) ranked information sources on a five-point Likert scale.
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Use of Resources for Ranking Radiology Programs
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Table 4
Applicant Ranking of Radiology Residency Program Information Sources
Resource Mean Score ± Standard Dev Current residents at the program 4.47 ± 0.79 Program director(s) at the program 3.87 ± 0.91 Faculty that interviewed you at the program 3.64 ± 0.83 Residency program website 3.64 ± 1.00 Other faculty members/Program Coordinators at the program 3.13 ± 1.18 Radiology faculty at your medical school 2.99 ± 1.06 Doximity rankings 2.77 ± 1.13 Student Doctor Network/Aunt Minnie forums 2.45 ± 1.17 Classmates applying to radiology from your medical school 2.44 ± 1.09 Students from other medical schools applying to radiology 2.25 ± 1.37 Student Affairs office at your medical school 1.83 ± 1.15
Respondents ( n = 116) ranked information sources on a five-point Likert scale.
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Applications, Interviews Attended, and Switching Career Choice
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DISCUSSION
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CONCLUSIONS
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Appendix A
Online questionnaire sent to radiology residency applicants
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Factor 1. Academic reputation of the program 2. Stability of the department and program 3. Research opportunities within the program 4. Dedicated time allotted for research 5. Strong subspecialty interest within the program 6. Call schedule of the program 7. Size of the program (total number of residents) 8. Geographic location of the program 9. Resident salary 10. Overall reputation of the hospital/hospital system 11. Residency curriculum structure 12. Interactions with the programs’ current residents 13. Interactions with the Program Director 14. Interactions with the Chairman 15. Interactions with interviewers and faculty 16. Residency applicants dinner 17. Perceived happiness of the residents and faculty 18. Moonlighting opportunities 19. Opportunity to attend national/international conferences 20. Book fund 21. Opportunities to attend National Core Exam review courses 22. In-house Core Exam review 23. Quality of imaging equipment 24. Overall quality of the interview day 25. Interview day tour 26. Perceived daily resident workload 27. Preference of family/spouse/partner 28. Fellowship and job placement of recent graduates 29. Online residency program rankings 30. Online discussion/comments about the program 31. Presence of a particular faculty member 32. Available teaching opportunities (medical students, visiting residents) 33. Second-look opportunities available 34. Correspondence with the program (Letter of Intent) 35. Organization/timeliness of correspondence from the program (Program Director, Program Coordinators, faculty, and residents)
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Resource 1. Current residents at the program 2. Program Director(s) at the program 3. Faculty that interviewed you at the program 4. Other faculty members/Program Coordinators at the program 5. Doximity rankings 6. Student Doctor Network/AuntMinnie Forums 7. Residency program website 8. Classmates applying to radiology from your medical school 9. Students from other medical schools applying to radiology 10. Radiology faculty at your medical school 11. Student Affairs office at your medical school
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Question 1. Radiology rotation is mandatory during clinical years at my medical school 2. Radiology rotation(s) played a pivotal role in determining my residency choice 3. I participated in radiology research prior to applying for residency 4. I switched from another specialty choice to radiology during medical school 5. I would like to work as an attending in the same region of the country as my residency program 6. My perception of the current radiology job market influenced my decision to choose radiology as a career 7. I applied to both the Diagnostic Radiology (DR) and Diagnostic Radiology/Interventional Radiology (DR/IR) residency pathways
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