Results of and comments on the 2000 survey of the American Association of Academic Chief Residents in Radiology

Rationale and Objectives. The American Association of Academic Chief Reside nts in Radiology (A(3)CR(2)) annually surveys radiology residency programs on issues related to training. The objective is to highlight national simil arities, differences, and trends to help programs establish standards and i mprove residency training. Materials and Methods. Questionnaires were mailed to 180 accredited diagnos tic radiology residency training programs in the United States. The survey covered the usual general topics and more specific topics considered every 4 years; for 2000 the latter were on-call issues and the chief residency ye ar. Results. Completed surveys were returned from 63 programs (35%). Important findings included increased caseload and call commitments, especially for s maller programs. Resident salaries appear to have increased more than the c onsumer price index. Nonemergent after-hour coverage and teleradiology are now a large part of the resident work practice. Women continue to be underr epresented, with a trend downward. Chief residents are more involved in org anizing preparation for board examinations and have greater office faciliti es and more administrative duties. Conclusion. This survey provided useful insights. All levels of residency f ace increased workloads. On-call hours have not changed, but the work has i ntensified and the use of teleradiology has increased. Many programs have a dopted a "night-float" system, and nonemergent after-hours coverage should be considered in any program evaluation. Continued vigilance and sustained efforts are required to ensure that radiology is considered as a specialty by both men and women. With increased demands on attending physicians' time , chief residents may need to take on more administrative responsibilities.