Clinical Internship for Radiology: To be, or Not to be

The Pre-Radiology Internship: Room for Improvement?

BACKGROUND

A clinical internship is currently required by the American Board of Radiology prior to Radiology residency. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate practicing radiologists' perspectives on the value of the internship and their recommendations for optimization.

METHODS

A five-minute online survey was distributed via email to practicing radiologist members of the American College of Radiology.

RESULTS

A total of 566 completed responses (11.3% response rate) were received. Most respondents agreed that their internship was essential for improving non-radiology clinical knowledge (84%) and affirming their decision to become a radiologist (74%). Most respondents (59%) disagree that the one-year internship before residency should be eliminated. Most (53%) of the radiologists in an academic practice agreed that internship should be integrated into Radiology residency. If radiologists were to redesign the internship ("PreRad Internship"), a majority of the respondents would include training in other medical specialties (71%), working along technologists (55%) and informatics/AI/computer science (54%). While the greatest proportion (50%) of interventional radiologists reported a Surgery internship would be the most beneficial for their primary subspecialty (50%), diagnostic radiologists most commonly (27%) reported the PreRad Internship would be the most beneficial. The greatest proportions of Abdominal-, Breast-, and Neuroradiology-trained respondents reported a PreRad Internship would be the most beneficial internship for their primary field of subspecialty Radiology practice (32%, 36%, and 33%, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The internship before Radiology residency offers some benefits but could be further optimized. There is support from practicing radiologists for a redesigned, more Radiology-specific PreRad Internship.

"Partially Matched" US Senior Diagnostic Radiology Applicants: Scope of the Problem and Implications for Applicants, Residency Training Programs, and the Academic Diagnostic Radiology Community

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

Anecdotal reports have recently surfaced of an increase in the number of US senior diagnostic radiology (DR)-bound residency applicants who did not secure a preliminary year position through the Main Resident Match (the Match) of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), so-called "partial matches." This study sought to determine the scope of this phenomenon and address potential causes and solutions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Publicly available and proprietary data from the National Resident Matching Program were analyzed from 2005-2016 to determine the number of partially matched US senior applicants, selectivity of DR residency training, availability of preliminary year positions, number of unique preliminary year applicants, distribution of preliminary year matches by successfully matched applicants in relevant specialties (DR, anesthesiology, dermatology, neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and radiation oncology), and percentage of categorical training programs participating in the Match.

RESULTS

Since 2012, there has been a trend toward an increase in the number of partially matched US senior DR applicants, with a transitory recovery in the 2015 Match. Although possible explanations for this increase are proposed, a definitive etiology remains elusive. Strategies to offset this phenomenon include advising perceived at-risk applicants to apply more broadly to preliminary year positions, creating more categorical training positions, abolishing the preliminary year requirement, and drawing high-caliber medical students to the field.

CONCLUSIONS

Although a definitive explanation for a recent increase in partial matches remains elusive, strategies exist for DR applicants, residency programs, and the DR academic community to minimize this risk.