The 2021 ACR/RBMA Workforce Survey: Practice Types, Employment Trends, and Hiring Needs

The aim of this study was to analyze current radiology practice types, specific subspecialty needs, employment trends, and retirement trends.

ACR members, nonmembers, and Radiology Business Management Association members were surveyed using predominantly structured closed-ended questions about a variety of current and recent radiology practice characteristics. Responses were group practice deduplicated and weighted.

Of 1,702 survey respondents, 64% were men, with a median age of 51 years. In 2021, 62% of responding practices hired radiologists, with the average practice hiring 2 radiologists and academic practices on average hiring the most (3.5). Most radiologists (87%) were hired for full-time positions, with independent practices hiring the largest proportion of part-time positions. Body and breast imagers represented the largest numbers of hired radiologists (17% each). Practices anticipated similar hiring patterns in 2022, prioritizing breast (37%) and body (35%) imaging. Of all practice types, academic groups were least likely to prioritize general radiologist hiring. A large majority (82%) of radiology practices permit remote work (teleradiology), more common at academic than other practices. Of currently employed radiologists, 16% plan to seek new employment in the next year; early-career radiologists indicated the highest likelihood (92%) and academic radiologists the lowest (66%) of remaining in the same practice for at least 5 years. A large majority of practices (80%) reported no radiologist retirements in 2021. Of those retiring, the average age was 75 years, and 66% worked full-time until retirement.

Radiologist recruiting remains robust. Current information on practice characteristics may help inform radiology practice leaders seeking to right-size their groups.