Integrated residency training leading to radiology and nuclear medicine board certification: the Arkansas experience

The pool of qualified nuclear medicine (NM) physicians is declining as fewer choose to enter the specialty. In June 2012, we began developing an integrated categorical residency training position satisfying the requirements of both the American Board of Radiology (ABR) and the American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM). Termed "NuRad," this was listed and filled in the 2013 NRMP match. We found it to be more attractive to qualified applicants than our traditional, three year NM residency. This approach may play a significant role in the future in ensuring the training of physicians expert in NM and molecular imaging.