Rationale and Objectives
There has been attention on the job market recently and on radiology's supply/demand
calculus. Supply is influenced by the number of trained radiologists, while demand
is driven by demographics and technological innovation. We analyze the supply of radiologists
historically and compare to other labor markets—medical and non-medical, domestic
and foreign.
Materials and Methods
We review National Resident Matching Program data in radiology and several other specialties
from 1991 to 2015. We also review surveys, physician recruitment data, and peer-reviewed
commentaries on medical specialty job markets. Trends are compared across specialties.
The regulation of American medical training is compared to that in the United Kingdom
and to a nonmedical labor market, unionized theatrical stage employees.
Results
Radiology residency positions have increased since 1998 despite a downturn in the
job market. This expansion coincides with a decreasing percentage of positions filled
by domestic graduates. A similar trend has been seen in pathology, a notoriously oversupplied
specialty. Conversely, other specialties have maintained their proportion of domestic
graduates by way of limited supply or implicit demand.
Conclusions
The radiology job market is currently oversupplied, primarily a result of increasing
residency positions despite indicators of decreasing demand. The percentage of residency
positions filled by domestic graduates has decreased during the same period, suggesting
that medical student interest is responsive to the market. Other specialties, particularly
pathology, demonstrate the dangers of chronic oversupply. We advocate a reduction
of radiology residency positions such that supply closely approximates demand without
exceeding it. Additional measures may be taken, if necessary, to restore market equilibrium
in the event of a mild undersupply.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 13, 2015
Accepted:
October 5,
2015
Received in revised form:
October 5,
2015
Received:
May 6,
2015
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
