Close to Home: Employment Outcomes for Recent Radiation Oncology Graduates.
To characterize the practice type and location of radiation oncology (RO) residents graduating in 2013.



Graduates completing RO residency in 2013 were identified, and for each, postgraduate practice setting (academic vs private practice) and location were identified. Characteristics of the graduates, including details regarding their institutions of medical school and residency education, were collected and analyzed.



Data were obtained from 146 of the 154 RO graduates from the class of 2013. Employment data were available for 142 graduates. Approximately one-third of graduates were employed in the same state as residency (36.6%), approximately two-thirds (62.0%) in the same region as residency, and nearly three-fourths (73.9%) in the same region as medical school or residency completion. Of the 66 graduates (46.5%) working in academics, 40.9% were at the same institution where they completed residency. Most trainees (82.4%) attended medical schools with RO residency programs.



Although personal factors may attract students to train in a particular area, the location of medical school and residency experiences may influence RO graduate practice location choice. Trends in the geographic distribution of graduating radiation oncologists can help identify and better understand disparities in access to RO care. Steps to improve access to RO care may include interventions at the medical student or resident level, such as targeting students at medical schools without associated residency programs and greater resident exposure to underserved areas.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System, Miami, Florida.
Awad A
AA
Ahmed
Department of Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
Emma B
EB
Holliday
New York University, New York, New York.
Jan
J
Ileto
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
Stella K
SK
Yoo
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Michael
M
Green
Department of Radiation Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida.
Amber
A
Orman
Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Curtiland
C
Deville
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Reshma
R
Jagsi
Department of Radiation Oncology, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Bruce G
BG
Haffty
Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut. Electronic address: Lynn.wilson@yale.edu.
Lynn D
LD
Wilson
D000328:Adult; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007586:Job Application; D008297:Male; D010560:Personnel Selection / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000072378:Radiation Oncologists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States