Results of the 2013 Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology Career Planning Survey of Practicing Physicians in the United States

Purpose

The goal of this study was to develop insights about the job application process for graduating radiation oncology residents from the perspective of those involved in hiring.

Methods

In May and June 2013, a nationwide electronic survey was sent to 1,671 practicing radiation oncologists in academic and private practice settings. Descriptive statistics are reported. In addition, subgroup analysis was performed.

Results

Surveys were completed by 206 physicians. Ninety-six percent were willing to hire individuals directly from residency. Participants believed that the first half of the fourth postgraduate year is the most appropriate time for residents to begin networking and the beginning of the fifth postgraduate year is the most appropriate time to begin contacting practices in pursuit of employment. Seventy percent began interviewing 4 to 9 months before the job start date, and 84% interviewed ≤6 candidates per available position. The 5 most important factors to participants when evaluating prospective candidates were (from most to least important) work ethic, personality, interview impression, experience in intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and flexibility. Factors that participants believed should be most important to candidates when evaluating practices included a collegial environment; emphasis on best patient care; quality of equipment, physics, dosimetry, and quality assurance; quality of the support staff and facility; and a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. Those in academics rated research-related factors higher than those in private practice, who rated business-related factors higher.

Conclusions

The perspectives of practicing physicians on the job application process are documented to provide a comprehensive resource for current and future residents and employers.

Introduction

Founded in 1982, the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) has represented radiation oncology residents in the United States and has conducted surveys of these residents for almost 3 decades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. These surveys provide unique insights into radiation oncology residency training. In 2011, ARRO recognized the need for residents to better understand the processes involved with securing postresidency employment. The first phase of this project was to survey graduating residents to determine which factors were most important to them when deciding on a first job and also what timeline was used to complete important tasks of the job application process [9]. The second phase of this project was to survey practicing physicians in both academic and private practice settings using a similar set of questions. The ultimate goal was to obtain information on the factors important to practicing physicians when hiring graduating residents and to corroborate the findings from the resident survey and assess any discrepancies. The results from the survey of practicing physicians are reported here.