Author: Seifallah Emam, Gilberto Gonzalez, Anna E. Rodrigues 👨🔬
Affiliation: Duke University, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center 🌍
Purpose:
To survey current therapeutic medical physics residents on 1) the accuracy with which residency programs were represented during interviews, 2) factors that most strongly impacted residents' experiences during interviews, and 3) residents' work-life balance and general satisfaction with their programs.
Methods:
Current therapeutic medical physics residents from multiple institutions responded to an anonymous survey. The survey collected demographic information about the residents (e.g., year of study, academic/clinical status, clinic size, and highest degree earned). There were twelve questions in total. Seven questions asked respondents to rate on a scale of 1-5 the accuracy with which residency programs represented their core components, the impact of certain interview components on residents' rankings, satisfaction with faculty involvement, and satisfaction with the program overall. Five additional multiple-choice questions surveyed work-life balance (e.g., hours worked per week, frequency of weekend work, compensation, and routine clinical requirements).
Results:
Thirty-six residents responded to the survey. On average, residency components (salary, curriculum, expected after-hours work, clinical workload, and resources) were ranked similarly high (median = 4) in terms of how accurately they were presented during interviews. The general impression from faculty/program directors was the most impactful factor during interviews (median = 5), while interview length was the least impactful (median = 2). Residents in smaller clinics (≤ 5 physicists) reported higher satisfaction with the program and greater comfort raising concerns with the program director (100% of small clinic residents scored 4+ for comfort level, compared to only 60% of residents in larger clinics).
Conclusion:
This survey highlights how different components of the interview process vary in importance according to current residents, offering guidance for program directors to improve the interview structure of their programs. The survey also reveals the potential impact of clinic size on residents' satisfaction and their comfort level in raising concerns with program directors.