Results of the 1996 survey of the American Association of Academic Chief Residents in Radiology

Diagnostic radiology chief residents were surveyed on issues related to residency training to compare features and gauge trends in training.

Questionnaires were mailed to accredited programs in the United States. A variety of demographic and common-interest questions were asked.

Forty-three percent of surveys were returned. The percentage of female residents was similar to that reported in other recent surveys; however, the percentage of women among 1st-year residents had decreased. Resident salaries had increased, although the average salary for a 4th-year resident had decreased when adjusted for inflation. Most 1st-year residents started participating in overnight hospital coverage by their 12th month of residency, and the total number of call days during residency correlated inversely with the size of the residency program. Almost half of residency programs used a night-float resident to provide after-hours coverage.

The information derived from the survey should be useful for program evaluation and future planning.