Leadership Development Programs for Radiology Residents: A Literature Review

Leadership development has become increasingly important in medical education, including postgraduate training in the specialty of radiology. Since leadership skills may be acquired, there is a need to establish leadership education in radiology residency training. However, there is a paucity of literature examining the design, delivery, and evaluation of such programs. The purpose of this study is to collate and characterize leadership training programs across postgraduate radiology residencies found in the literature.

A scoping review was conducted. Relevant articles were identified through a search of Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, and ERIC databases from inception until June 22, 2020. English-language studies characterizing leadership training programs offered during postgraduate radiology residency were included. A search of the grey literature was completed via a web-based search for target programs within North America.

The literature search yielded 1168 citations, with 6 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Four studies were prospective case series and two were retrospective. There was heterogeneity regarding program structure, content, teaching methodology, and evaluation design. All programs were located in the United States. Outcome metrics and success of the programs was variably reported, with a mix of online and in person feedback used. The grey literature search revealed 3 American-based programs specifically catered to radiology residents, and none within Canada.

The review highlighted a paucity of published literature describing leadership development efforts within radiology residency programs. The heterogeneity of programs highlighted the need for guidance from regulatory bodies regarding delivery of leadership curricula.