CURRENT STATUS OF RESIDENCY PROGRAMS - SURVEY OF PROGRAM DIRECTORS

Rationale and Objectives. This survey was compiled to provide current data on the structure and content of radiology residency programs and the role of the residency program director. Methods. A survey, created in electronic form and on paper, was distributed to all United States academic, private, and military radiology residency program directors . Results. Of the 202 survey forms distributed, 168 (83%) were complet ed and returned. Eighty percent of respondents support national curric ulum guidelines, but most do not favor national curriculum requirement s. About half (53%) of programs spend 6 months in ''view box'' nuclear medicine; others provide some experience by lectures and on-call time . Most programs (60%) relieve residents of some call during the senior year. Some programs (28%) allow seniors time away from clinical dutie s to study for the oral board exam, and 17% permit time away to study for the written boards, Seventy-eight percent of programs have had a ' 'problem resident,'' and 47% have asked a resident to leave the progra m. Directors' most frequently expressed concern was threat of diminish ed residency numbers due to decreased funding.