Association of Pre-residency Peer Reviewed Publications with Radiation Oncology Resident Choice of Academic Versus Private Practice Career

Publication date: Available online 5 April 2017
Source:Practical Radiation Oncology
Author(s): Shearwood McClelland, Charles R Thomas, Lynn D Wilson, Emma B Holliday, Jerry J Jaboin
IntroductionThe decision of radiation oncology residents to pursue academic versus private practice careers plays a central role in shaping the present and future of the field, yet factors potentially predictive of this decision are lacking. This study was performed to examine the role of several factors publicly available prior to residency on post-residency career choice, including pre-residency peer-reviewed publications (PRP) which have been associated with resident career choice in comparably competitive subspecialties such as neurosurgery.MethodsUsing a combination of internet searches, telephone interviews, and the 2015 Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) directory, a list of 2016 radiation oncology resident graduates was compiled along with their post-residency career choice. PRP was defined as the number of PubMed publications encompassing the end of the calendar year (2010) in which residency applications were due; this number was then correlated with career choice.Results163 residents from 76 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-certified programs were examined. 78% were male, 22% were MD/PhD, and 79 graduates (48%) chose academic careers. 52% of graduates had at least one PRP at the time of application to radiation oncology residency; 35% had more than one PRP. Regarding career choice, the difference between 0 and 1+ PRP was statistically significant (odds ratio=3.3; p<0.01), but not between 1 and >1 PRP. Gender, PhD or non-PhD dual degree status were not associated with career choice.ConclusionRadiation oncology residency graduates with one or more peer-reviewed publications at the time of residency application were roughly two times more likely to choose an academic career as their initial career choice than graduates with no pre-residency peer-reviewed publications. This information may prove useful to medical students, medical school advisors and residency program directors, and deserves further prospective investigation.



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