Factors such as the influence of a mentor and flexible work hours influence whether medical students decide to pursue an interventional radiology (IR) or diagnostic radiology residency, according to a study published online September 19 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Dr. Daryl Goldman of Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and colleagues compared the motivations of IR and diagnostic radiology residency applicants using a questionnaire distributed during the 2018 National Resident Matching Program process. The group included 202 diagnostic radiology respondents and 114 interventional radiology respondents.
IR applicants rated the following factors, among others, more positively than diagnostic radiology applicants did:
- Influence of a mentor
- Perceived job satisfaction
- Job market
In contrast, diagnostic radiology applicants rated the following factors more positively, compared with IR residency applicants:
- Flexible work hours
- Physics
- Competitiveness of the application process
"The motivations for pursuing IR residency differ from diagnostic radiology residency," the researchers concluded. "Understanding these motivations can help to recruit top quality IR residency applicants."
