The manpower crisis in academic radiology: don't kill the milk cow for meat

There is a manpower crisis in academic radiology departments. These departments cannot sustain their academic missions from clinical revenues alone. Salaries can' t be competitive with private practice, and the recruitment and retention of faculty members are compromised. The education of medical students, residents, and fellows and the clinical and basic research that sustains the specialty suffers. There is no simple remedy; academic departments need philanthropy from industry and private practice, more support from the government and the schools of medicine, and more efficient clinical practices. The future of our specialty is truly at stake. Academic departments are responsible for the great majority of training and technical innovation in the specialty. If academic departments cannot sustain their academic missions, the specialty of diagnostic radiology will certainly suffer.