Results of and comments on the 1998 survey of the American Association of Academic Chief Residents in Radiology

Rationale and Objectives. The American Association of Academic Chief Reside nts in Radiology annually surveys residency programs on a variety of issues related to residency training. The survey allows for comparison between pr ograms regarding training and follows trends on current issues. Materials and Methods. Questionnaires were mailed to all accredited program s in the United States (188 programs). The questionnaire consisted of quest ions regarding general demographic information and specific topics regardin g residency training. The 1998 survey focused on turf issues, teleradiology use, residency selection, and prior training. Results. Completed surveys from 61 programs (32.4%) were returned. Importan t findings included (a) the ongoing turf battles regarding vascular and obs tetric-gynecologic ultrasound, both in general hospital and emergency depar tment patients, (6) the use of teleradiology by most residents, and (c) the low percentage of women in radiology residency programs. Conclusion. The information obtained during yearly surveys is useful for pr ogram evaluation and future planning. Current survey results indicate an in creasing use of teleradiology in residency over the past 4 years. The turf battles in ultrasonography (both vascular and obstetric) have remained unch anged over the same time frame.