Tag: predictions

Posted on by

How Competitive Is Radiology For The 2022 Match?

2022 match

We are well through a good chunk of our interview season. So, it’s about that time for me to start making predictions for the up-and-coming 2022 match as I have done for the previous years. Check out my blog for last year called From The Trenches! How Competitive Is Diagnostic Radiology For The 2021 Match? Based on last year’s predictions, it seems I was pretty close to the mark if you compare my thoughts to the NRMP stats. My goal is not to freak everybody about getting to residency. Instead, I want to paint as realistic of a picture as I can for those applying to give them some expectations of the process. Let’s see if I can also get it right for this year. (Hell, a broken clock is right twice a day!) Like last time, let’s use some of the objective and more subjective criteria to determine the application competitiveness.

Moreover, this year, we can make a fairer comparison between the interview candidates because we are directly comparing two zoom interview years. It’s more of an apples-to-apples comparison than last interview season when we didn’t have such a comparison. Hopefully, that will make my conclusions even more precise than the previous year.

“Objective Criteria” For The 2022 Match

Applicant Board Scores

Alright, let’s start with the obvious. The board scores are noticeably higher than last year when it comes to our applications. And, I would say a significant five to ten points higher. Although not the norm, scores above 260 are sometimes seen, more commonly than last year. Therefore, we have raised our cut-off slightly this year due to this increase. That certainly bodes well for the applicant pool, but not so much for the individual.

Interviewing Less Foreign Grads

At a smaller institution like ours, we tend to get more foreign grads than some of the bigger programs. That, of course, may change to some extent when we eventually merge. Nevertheless, the number of foreign grads invited to interview slots has decreased slightly. Why? It seems there are more local U.S. grads from which to choose. Now, I have traditionally loved our foreign medical school-trained residents, but our program obligates us to peruse the U.S. applications first. Be that as it may, I perceive a noticeable difference in the numbers of American medical school applicants to our program this year.

Fewer Zoom Cancellations

So, far I have also noticed fewer zoom canceled interviews at this point. Usually, folks get tired of interviewing by the midpoint of December, and the numbers begin to drop off a bit. This trend is not so much the case so far this year. Our interview days have been chock full of eager applicants. That also points to a more competitive year.

“Subjective Criteria” For The 2022 Match

More Interesting Applications

Every year has its fair share of interesting applicants. But, this year, the pool seems more varied. I see more “self-starters” like former business owners, high-performing talented musical folks, and folks with many other impressive side hobbies and unique talents. This increase seems to happen more often with a more competitive pool of applicants.

“The Covid Factor”

This year is the first year where applicants had a decent amount of time to mull over applying with the effects of Covid playing a role in their future specialty choice. For many applicants, this is where radiology begins to look even more attractive. First of all, many applicants have thought about and noticed the flexibility of specialty regarding patient care. Some folks have realized they may not have wanted to spend as much time with covid positive patients as, say, an internal medicine physician. Unlike other specialties, we can sometimes work from home and not have to worry about contracting and spreading Covid all the time.

Furthermore, many applicants see the critical role that we play in the diagnosis and management of Covid. To some, this is an attractive feature of radiology. Regardless of the motives, I see the “covid factor” making radiology a more attractive specialty than ever before

“Good Job Market”

The job market has been going strong in radiology for several years, except for the sudden blip/drop-off of the initial covid outbreak. When the job market has been relatively strong for some time (usually a few years), medical students begin to notice when salaries are relatively high, and the job market is healthy. Indeed, that situation has been active, and I believe it will remain this way for the foreseeable future (until the next market swing!)

My Final Assessment Of Our Radiology Competitiveness For The 2022 Match

Sorry to those that are worried about this year’s competitiveness. But, I see a significant uptick in the competitiveness in the application situation. I have found it noticeable compared to last year. But, the devil is in the details. Let’s see what the folks at the NRMP have to say in March!

 

 

 

Posted on by

Radiology In The Post Covid-19 Era: How Will The Specialty Change?

covid-19

For almost all of us, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our daily lives in some form or another. Some folks have been temporarily furloughed or lost their jobs. Other radiologists are infected and sickened by the virus. And, we all feel a level of heightened anxiety. But, one day, this situation shall end, hopefully, sooner rather than later. Moreover, with the end of the pandemic, the field of radiology will never be the same. It will be a post-COVID-19 era, a new world for radiology.

So, what will change in our field after the dust settles, and we approach a more “normal” life once again? This question is what I will attempt to answer to give us an idea. So, let’s divide my predictions into the following categories: demand for radiology residency, remote learning, teleradiology, and finally, numbers of onsite radiologists. No, I am not the oracle of Delphi, and I cannot foretell the future with certainty. However, my sixteen-year experience in the field of radiology and work with radiology residents allows me to make some educated guesses about what we can expect to change in radiology at the end of this pandemic.  Let’s give this a whirl!

Increased Demand For Radiology Post Covid-19

Medical students throughout the country are in the thick of the action. And, they can now see the role that different physician specialists play in a pandemic. I am sure that many medical students will notice that radiologists play a vital role in the diagnosis and management of COVID-19. Yet, they tend not to be on the front lines like the Emergency Physicians, internists, and surgeons. Not to say we don’t come in contact with these patients. But, for many medical students, I believe this critical role we play, and our overall relative decreased exposure to contagious disease will become an attractive feature that draws more applicants into the fold. I would imagine seeing more applications to radiology residency for the next several match cycles.

Remote Learning For Radiology Residents

Due to the restrictions on group meetings, most programs, by now, have shored up their capabilities to give teleconferences and administer online learning materials. Before, for many residencies,  it was only an adjunct to learning. Now, just like for public education, it has become a necessity and will become ingrained into the fabric of all residencies throughout the country. I believe this will stick.

Universal Teleradiology

For practices that didn’t have much of an online presence outside the hospital, they now will. If you read my previous article, Coronavirus: A Clarion Call For Universal Home Teleradiology, you will understand that it is incumbent on practices to develop an online presence to decrease exposure to disease, and increase efficiency and workforce flexibility. Hospitals and practices are waking up to these issues. And, these changes are taking place right now forever transforming radiology.

Fewer Onsite Radiologists

Of course, hospitals and practices need onsite radiologists to fulfill their obligations. We need to do the biopsies, treatments, direct patient care, interventions, and more.  However, we do not need to do much of the work onsite. And, all radiologists will, therefore, have more flexibility to read from home, outside the normal confines of an office or hospital. Teleradiology will no longer be only for teleradiologists, but rather a tool for all radiologists. And, thus, you will see fewer radiologists sitting at hospital workstations. Instead, clinicians will call many more radiologists at their home offices with their questions.

Radiology In A Post Covid-19 Era

Yes. The field of radiology will never be quite the same. We are moving toward different practices and norms. And, increase demand/applications for our specialty, ubiquitous remote learning, universal teleradiology, and a leaner number of radiologists stationed at hospitals and practices are some of the features that you will most likely notice in a post-Covid era. Although some of you may disagree, it makes logical sense as we are developing the infrastructure for these changes as the pandemic continues to smolder. So, look around your departments over the next several months and years. Just like the addition of PACs, or when CT became part of bread and butter radiology, you will be taking part in the next sea change of our field!

If you think of other changes or disagree with my predictions, shoot me some comments or an email about what you think.  I would be interested to hear your opinions!