Subspecialty Employment Needs in Academic Radiology Settings Across Canada

The purpose of this survey was to identify current and projected subspecialty employment needs across Canadian academic radiology practices.

An electronic survey was distributed to academic radiology department heads within the faculties of medicine at Canadian universities between September and October 2019. Respondents identified the number of partnership track radiologists hired in the last academic year, the number of fellowship-trained new hires, and the top 3 subspecialties for new and prospective hires. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data.

Nine academic radiology department heads responded to the survey (75% response rate) with good regional representation across Canada. Ninety-five percent of new hires within the last academic year were subspecialty fellowship trained. The top subspecialties for new hires in the last year were abdominal imaging and interventional neuroradiology, with 77.8% and 44.4% of academic leaders reporting them as one of the top 3 subspecialties, respectively. The top 3 subspecialties for prospective hires in the next academic year included musculoskeletal imaging (n = 6, 66.7%), followed by abdominal imaging (n = 5, 55.6%), with pediatric radiology (n = 3, 33.3%) and cardiothoracic imaging (n = 3, 33.3%) tying for third place. There was some variability in the subspecialty needs for hires between regions.

The survey results provide valuable information about the current and future subspecialty needs of academic radiology practices. The data obtained can provide guidance to trainees regarding fellowship training options that will optimize their future employability.