Rationale and Objectives
To investigate whether there is a bias in the residency selection process that influences
the proportion of females entering diagnostic radiology residencies.
Materials and Methods
A total of 4117 applications to one diagnostic radiology residency program from 2008
to 2014 were analyzed. Invitations to interview were evaluated by each year, specifically
looking at gender. Ranking of applicants, especially those placed in top 25% of the
rank, was also assessed. Additional data analyzed included United States Medical Licensing
Examination Step 1 board examination score (a proxy for academic performance), interview
scores, and final position on rank list.
Results
Female applicants averaged 24% of the total applicant pool during the years studied,
yet made up a disproportionately high percentage of applicants invited to interview
(30%) and those ranked in top 25% (38%). It was found that female applicants had slightly
higher mean interview scores and lower Step 1 scores than male applicants.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that program directors in one program want to increase gender
diversity by making strides to keep the female candidate pool and the proportion of
female residents in the program at least stable. The pipeline of female medical students
pursuing a career in radiology appears to be a limiting factor rather than a bias
against women in the resident selection process. Identifying such trends is important
as it provides a better understanding of the etiology for an overall lack of gender
diversity within the field. Furthermore, it may lead to closing the gender gap in
radiology.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 25, 2015
Accepted:
October 20,
2015
Received in revised form:
October 14,
2015
Received:
June 19,
2015
Footnotes
Presented at the Association of University Radiologists Annual Meeting, April 16, 2015.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 The Association of University Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
