The results are in! 3 key takeaways from the ACR Commission on Human Resources survey

The American College of Radiology (ACR) Commission on Human Resources has published the results of its annual workplace survey in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. More than 500 practice leaders responded to the survey, which corresponds to more than 13,000 radiologists. The ACR’s annual survey, which was first published in 2011, was developed to help track hiring trends within the imaging industry in the United States.

“The primary focus of the survey is to determine the makeup of the radiology workforce and to determine the types and numbers of radiologists hired in the previous year, expected to be hired during the next year, and expected to be hired subsequently in three years,” wrote Edward I. Bluth, MD, Ochsner Clinical School in New Orleans, La., and Swati Bansal, MS, Sage Computing in Reston, Virginia. “Previous reports described a reduction in job opportunities between 2012 and 2013, but in 2014 and 2015, the job market seemed to be recovering.”

What can be learned from this year’s survey results? These are three key takeaways.

1. Hiring is up

Based on data from the survey, Bluth and Bansal estimate that a total of 1,986 radiologists will be hired in 2016. For context 1,069 radiologists were hired in 2013. That number jumped to 1,393 in 2014 and 1,707 in 2015.

“Considering that approximately 1,200 radiologists complete training each year, our survey indicates a definite improvement in job opportunities for all radiologists in 2016,” the authors wrote. “In fact, we have learned from this survey that 45 percent of 2015 jobs were obtained by radiologists changing jobs. Consequently, the 2016 survey results offer good news to all radiologists vis-à-vis job opportunities.”

Bluth and Bansal added that the radiology workforce’s fate may be largely decided by radiologists 65 years and older.

“Once again, the Commission on Human Resources recommends caution when evaluating these statistics because of the potential for significant change depending on the retirement of the senior group members,” the authors wrote. “Six percent of the workforce is older than 65 years, and 22 percent are between 56 and 65 years of age. If these individuals decide to retire, the result could be a significant national shortage of radiologists.”

2. Fewer women are studying radiology than other specialties

According to the survey, 21.4 percent of practicing radiologists are female. As Bluth and Bansal noted, however, this number is “significantly less” than the percentage of women currently enrolled in medical school.

“The Commission on Human Resources has been studying the issue of why medical students choose radiology as their specialty, and the Commission on Women and General Diversity is looking into ways to attract more women into the workforce,” the authors wrote.

3. Midwest, South offer the most job opportunities

Radiologists entering the job market for the first time, as well as those hoping for a change in scenery, should note that it will be easier in 2016 to find work in some places than others.

“The most plentiful jobs in 2016 will be in the Midwest (26 percent) and in the South (26 percent), and the smallest number of jobs will be available in New England (8 percent) and in the West (11 percent),” the authors wrote.

Bluth and Bansal noted that, since the data came from a survey, there is no certain way to know it is representative of all providers throughout the United States. But they do feel confident, noting that that their response rate of 32 percent was “statistically significant.”