Recruiting remains a key concern among both academic and hospital radiology practices, with 67% of radiologists reporting that their practices are understaffed, researchers have found.
According to the most current American College of Radiology (ACR)/Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) workforce survey, successful recruiting is crucial as exam volume increases, wrote a team led by Elizabeth Dibble, MD, of the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, RI. The group's results were published January 30 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
"The volume of radiology examinations per patient has exploded, while the availability of additional radiologists to assist with increased imaging has not kept pace," Dibble and colleagues noted. "Ongoing periodic assessment of the radiologist workforce is necessary to identify pressure points and potential mitigating factors."
The radiologist workforce shortage "threatens to delay diagnostic services and lengthen patient wait times" -- and contributes to burnout, the authors explained. That's why "ongoing periodic assessment of the radiologist workforce is necessary to identify pressure points and potential mitigating factors."
For this latest report, Dibble and colleagues conducted a survey between December 2022 and January 2023 that included 2,302 participants. Of the total respondents, 524 were "decision-makers" from both ACR and RBMA member databases who represented more than 400 unique practices; 1,278 were "non-decision-makers" (or "rank and file" radiologists); and 500 were retired ACR members. Most were male (72%) and the mean age was 50. The investigators compared 2022 data to 2021 data.
The majority of respondents (67%) reported that their practices were understaffed, the team noted. It also found shifts in work patterns:
| Shifts in radiologist work patterns, 2021 to 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Measure | 2021 | 2022 | p-value |
| Number of part-time radiologists hired (mean) | 0.3 | 0.48 | p = 0.02 |
| Number of radiologists moving to a different job (mean) | 0.87 | 1.34 | p < 0.01 |
| Number of radiologists going from full-time to part-time (mean) | 0.64 | 0.87 | p = 0.02 |
| Percentage of radiologists working remotely | 37% | 52% | p < 0.01 |
The group also described the following:
- The largest proportion of survey respondents reported income of between $400,000 and $499,999 per year.
- Radiologists in independent private practice were more likely than those in academic practices to make $700,000 or more per year.
- Radiologists in urban practices were more likely to report less than $500,000 income compared with those in rural practices (73% vs. 48%).
- Academic practices offered more paid time off and better support of paid family/medical leave compared with other practice types.
- Both hospital (85%) and national (89%) practices were more likely than academic ones (77%) to offer malpractice insurance.
- Radiologists in academic and private practices were more likely to report understaffing compared with those in hospital-based practices (77% and 67% vs. 47%).
The survey results underscore a need for more research, according to Dibble and colleagues.
"Information on practice needs, employment plans, and work preferences may help radiology practice leaders optimize recruitment and retention of radiologists," they concluded.
The complete study can be accessed here.
