title: Adoption of the 16-month American Board of Radiology pathway to dual board certifications in nuclear radiology and/or nuclear medicine for diagnostic radiology residents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In 2010, the American Board of Radiology (ABR) approved a new 16-month nuclear subspecialty training pathway within a standard 48-month Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited diagnostic radiology (DR) residency available to institutions sponsoring ACGME-accredited nuclear radiology (NR) and/or nuclear medicine (NM) program(s). This accelerated pathway leads to eligibility for dual ABR certifications in DR and NR or in NM by the American Board of Nuclear Medicine (ABNM). The American College of Radiology, in conjunction with the ABR, aimed to understand adoption of this new pathway, barriers to implementation, preferences for subspecialty certification, and competing alternative combined DR/NR/NM training pathways.
  
  
  METHODS
  During 2013-2014, there were 20 ACGME-accredited NR fellowship and 43 ACGME-accredited NM residency programs eligible to adopt this new 16-month pathway. They were surveyed by e-mail correspondence regarding implementation and barriers to implementation, board certification (ABR-NR and ABNM) preferences, and local alternative training pathways.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With 100% of the surveys completed, a small cadre of qualifying DR programs (14, 22%) has adopted (9, 14%) or is seriously considering adopting (5, 8%) the 16-month ABR pathway. For most, implementation is problematic with numerous barriers in common. Five (8%) institutions are developing 60-month nontraditional models as alternative routes to ABR-DR/ABR-NR certifications and/or dual ABR/ABNM board certifications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In spite of strategies to promote a shortened training pathway in NR/NM, traditional subspecialty fellowships outside the DR residency remain the dominant pathway leading to ABR subspecialty certification in NR and/or ABNM certification for diagnostic radiologists.
authors.affiliation: Albert B. Chandler Medical Center, Department of Radiology, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 800 Rose St, HX-307B, Lexington, KY 40536-0293; Commission on Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Board of Chancellors, American College of Radiology, Reston, Virginia. Electronic address: meoate2@email.uky.edu.
authors.forename: M Elizabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Oates
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Houston, Texas; Nuclear Radiology, Board of Trustees, American Board of Radiology, Tucson, Arizona.
authors.forename: Milton J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Guiberteau
mesh_terms: D002568:Certification; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009683:Nuclear Medicine / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013044:Specialty Boards / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States
keywords: Diagnostic radiology; dual board certifications; nuclear medicine; nuclear radiology; residency training pathways