Relationship Between Citation-Based Scholarly Activity of United States Radiation Oncology Residents and Subsequent Choice of Academic versus Private Practice Career

Publication date: Available online 3 February 2018
Source:International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics
Author(s): Shearwood McClelland, Timur Mitin, Lynn D. Wilson, Charles R. Thomas, Jerry J. Jaboin
IntroductionCitation-based scholarly activity of physicians has become increasingly evaluated via the Hirsch index (h-index), which assesses the number of manuscripts (h) cited at least h times. However, such evaluation involving Radiation Oncology residents is lacking in the peer-reviewed literature. The objective of this study was to assess h-index data and its association with resident choice of academic versus private practice career.MethodsA list of 2016 radiation oncology resident graduates (163 residents from 76 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-certified programs) and their post-residency career choice (academic versus private practice) was compiled as previously described (McClelland et al., Practical Radiation Oncology 2017). The SCOPUS bibliometric citation database was then searched to collect h-index data for each resident. Demographics included in analyses were gender and PhD degree status.ResultsMean h-index score for all resident graduates was 4.15. Residents with a PhD had significantly higher h-index scores (6.75 versus 3.42; p<0.01), while there was no statistically significant difference in h-index scores between male and female residents (4.38 versus 3.36; p=0.06). With regard to career choice, residents choosing academic careers had higher h-index scores than those choosing private practice (5.41 versus 2.96; p<0.01). There was no significant difference in mean h-index scores between male and female residents regardless of private practice (3.15 versus 2.19; p=0.25) or academic (5.80 versus 4.30; p=0.13) career choice.ConclusionThe average radiation oncology resident graduate published a minimum of four manuscripts cited at least four times. Graduates with a PhD are significantly more likely to have higher h-index scores, as are residents who choose academic over private practice careers. There is no significant difference in h-index score between male and female residents regardless of career choice. These results offer up-to-date benchmarks for evaluating radiation oncology resident productivity and have potential utility in predicting career choices post-residency.

Teaser

The average radiation oncology resident graduate published a minimum of four manuscripts cited at least four times. Graduates with a PhD are significantly more likely to have higher h-index scores, as are residents who choose academic over private practice careers. There is no significant difference in h-index score between male and female residents regardless of career choice. These results offer up-to-date benchmarks for evaluating resident productivity and have potential utility in predicting career choices post-residency.


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