Radiology residency programs have space to add more positions, but funding uncertain

Most radiology residency program directors say they have space to add more positions, though funding and other factors may be preventing them from doing so. 

That’s according to the results of a new survey of academic U.S. imaging leaders, published Wednesday in JACR. Radiology continues to face an imbalance between rising demand for diagnostic services and a persistent shortage of specialists required to read studies, experts note. 

Residency programs have struggled to keep pace, with only about 1,060 diagnostic and 150 interventional positions registered in the 2025 Match. 

“Individual programs have the ability to request an increase in their complement if they believe they are able to accommodate the required elements for the increased resident/fellowship size,” corresponding author Michael A. Bruno, MD, MS, a professor of radiology with Penn State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, and colleagues detailed Jan. 28. “This study was initiated to determine the potential capacity for expansion of complement size of U.S. Residencies in diagnostic radiology, if increased funding were available from alternate state-level and private sources,” they added later. 

For the analysis, researchers administered a survey to program directors and assistant PDs of accredited diagnostic radiology programs across the U.S. The survey was designed to measure the number of additional residents each program could accommodate, without regard to any funding considerations. A total of 47 program directors completed the survey, which included a mix of multiple choice and free-text questions. Two of the respondents omitted answers related to their current capacity and space for potential expansion. 

On average, each program held about 8.5 diagnostic radiology residency positions each year, and 85% indicated they had the potential for expansion. Of those, the average estimated capacity for increase was about 2.8 positions, the survey found. Thirteen of the surveyed programs (or about 28%) said they had requested an increase in resident complement over the previous five years. Eleven of them were approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, with the other two denied, due to limited funding or resources. 

“This suggests that both diagnostic radiology programs and ACGME reviewers are generally supportive of expansion efforts, though challenges remain in securing approval due to a lack of resources and funding,” the authors noted. 

Among those who did not request an increase, reasons varied. Most selected “other” as the explanation, with funding limitations the primary barrier. Respondents listed limitations including the absence of institutional or GME financial support, residency caps and denial of hospital funding requests. 

“To address current radiologist workforce shortages, residency programs should explore strategies to optimize faculty and financial resources, such as obtaining funding for new residency positions from private sources such as private payers, nonprofit foundations and community radiology practices that frequently recruit graduates of their programs,” the authors added, noting that their analysis is limited by its low response rate. “Future study is needed to identify best practices for resource optimization to support the expansion of diagnostic radiology programs effectively.” 

Read more in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.