Current status of residency programs: survey of program directors

This survey was compiled to provide current data on the structure and content of radiology residency programs and the role of the residency program director.

A survey, created in electronic form and on paper, was distributed to all United States academic, private, and military radiology residency program directors.

Of the 202 survey forms distributed, 168 (83%) were completed and returned. Eighty percent of respondents support national curriculum guidelines, but most do not favor national curriculum requirements. About half (53%) of programs spend 6 months in "view box" nuclear medicine; others provide some experience by lectures and on-call time. Most programs (60%) relieve residents of some call during the senior year. Some programs (28%) allow seniors time away from clinical duties to study for the oral board exam, and 17% permit time away to study for the written boards. Seventy-eight percent of programs have had a "problem resident," and 47% have asked a resident to leave the program. Directors' most frequently expressed concern was threat of diminished residency numbers due to decreased funding.