A Call to Action for Medical Student Mentoring by Young Radiologists

The diagnostic radiology match process has become less competitive over the past 5 years, and fewer U.S. medical students are choosing to pursue careers in diagnostic radiology. The current composition of the diagnostic radiology residency applicant pool reflects this change. Although many possible explanations exist for the decreased interest in radiology, all radiologists should have a vested interest in ensuring that radiology continues to attract the best and brightest medical students. Young and early career radiologists are in a particularly unique position to connect with medical students, and can have substantial effect on recruiting the brightest medical students into radiology. The purpose of this article is to review why young radiologists are vital to this recruitment and mentoring process, and provide multiple simple ways to advocate for radiology and share our passion for radiology with medical students.