title: After-hours coverage of various radiologic subspecialties and its impact on the fourth-year radiology residency curriculum.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The modification of the initial radiology board exam series has as a concerted aim the promotion of subspecialization. Yet, in practice, fellowship-trained radiologists may be assigned to off-hours work in other diagnostic areas. The purpose of this study is to chart the prevalence of after-hour work among the various subspecialties in radiology and to relate those findings to the pertinence of a fourth-year training curriculum devoted to only one imaging discipline.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was sent to members of Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments and to directors of the 50 largest American private radiology practices requesting that they list after-hours coverage obligations of their various subspecialists.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Academic and private practice response rates were 40.8% (42 of 103) and 42% (21 of 50), respectively. In academic practice, 80% of neuroradiologists, 93% of interventional radiologists, and 84% of pediatric radiologists were not assigned after-hour coverage in other subspecialties. In private practice groups, only 24% of neuroradiologists, 48% of interventional radiologists, and 33% of pediatric radiologists were free of these duties. For other subspecialists, the likelihood of after-hours assignments to other disciplines was not so discrepant between academic and private practices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Residents pursuing an academic career in neuroradiology, interventional radiology, or pediatric radiology could benefit from a full fourth-year experience in their area of subspecialty, whereas a more variegated curriculum would be more suitable for other specialists independent of practice type.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07101, USA. lyndon.luk@gmail.com
authors.forename: Lyndon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luk
authors.forename: Stephen R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D039602:After-Hours Care; D002321:Career Choice; D003479:Curriculum; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D059906:Neuroimaging; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D011871:Radiology / Q000193:education*; D015642:Radiology, Interventional / Q000193:education; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States