Adjectives in the Summary Paragraph of the MSPE: Are They Telling Us Something?

Rationale And Objectives: Many US medical schools do not provide a summative, comparative assessment of students (class rank), instead utilizing descriptive adjectives in the summary paragraph of the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE). The objective of this study was to determine whether those adjectives correlate with student performance.

Materials And Methods: Applications from all US allopathic medical schools received by a single diagnostic radiology program in the 2023-24 cycle were reviewed.

Women in leadership matters: Achieving diversity in radiology residency recruitment.

Rationale And Objectives: To assess whether academic radiology departments and residency programs with efforts toward supporting and augmenting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are associated with a higher proportion of residents from diverse backgrounds.

Materials And Methods: Program Directors within the Radiology Residency Education Research Alliance were surveyed to gather information about program characteristics, incorporation of diversity in resident recruitment, the sponsoring department's commitment to efforts at expanding diversity, and a summary of their current and past residents, staff and faculty members (academic years 2020 and 2023) with respect to a list of diversity characteristics.

Results: Survey response rate was 51 %.

The Influence of Extracurricular Activities on Radiology Resident Selection Decisions.

Purpose: Extracurricular activities (EAs) listed on radiology residency applications can signal traits and characteristics desired in holistic reviews. The authors conducted an objective analysis to determine the influence of EAs on resident selection decisions.

Methods: A discrete-choice experiment was designed to model radiology resident selection and determine the relative weights of EAs among academic and demographic application factors.

Medical student perspectives on radiology subspecialties prior to core clerkship.

Rationale And Objectives: Radiology remains underrepresented in U.S. medical school clinical curricula, and preconceived opinions about the field may impact whether students pursue elective exposure.

Unintended Consequence: Diversity as a Casualty of Eliminating United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 Scores.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to use a discrete-choice experiment to model the trade-offs evaluators make between academic attributes and demographics when the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 switches to pass/fail.

Methods: A discrete-choice experiment was administered to faculty members from a geographically diverse mix of 14 academic and community radiology departments in the United States from August through November 2020. Reviewers reviewed 10 applicant pairs with numeric Step 1 scores (part 1) and 10 applicant pairs with a pass Step 1 result (part 2).

The Impact of the Dobbs Decision on Diagnostic Radiology Applicants, Residents, and Program Directors.

In the Dobbs decision the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, returning the issue of abortion to the states. To date, there is little published data on the impact this might have on where future residents choose to pursue graduate medical education.

An Elite Privilege: Top-Ranked Medical Schools Provide Fewer Comparative Performance Data on Their Students.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine differences in the reporting of performance data on medical student performance evaluations (MSPEs) by medical school ranking.

Methods: MSPEs from all US allopathic and osteopathic medical schools received by a single diagnostic radiology residency program during the 2021-2022 application cycle were retrospectively reviewed. Preclinical class and core clerkship grades were categorized as pass/fail or multitiered.

Patient and Radiologist Demographics Influence Perceptions of Screening Mammography Reports.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to test whether patient and radiologist demographics influence perceptions of screening mammography reports and the interpreting radiologist.

Methods: Patients presenting for breast imaging were surveyed. Demographics were collected, and each participant was shown five mock screening mammography reports with BI-RADS category 2 findings, each with a recommendation for 1-year screening.

Hidden Curriculum and the Demographic Stoicism That Keeps Women and Minorities Away From Radiology: A Mixed-Methods Study of Medical Students.

Objective: To understand how women and historically underrepresented minority medical students perceive radiology as a potential career choice.

Methods: Medical students representing a broad spectrum of radiology exposure from a single institution were invited to participate in a mixed-methods study. Participants completed a 16-item survey about demographics and perceptions of radiology.

Should Radiology Residency Interviews Remain Virtual? Results of a Multi-institutional Survey Inform the Debate.

Rationale And Objectives: The recent completion of the inaugural virtual interview season has triggered calls for the permanency of virtual interviews in the radiology resident selection process. We designed a study to assess the inaugural 2020-2021 virtual interview season and inform the anticipated debate on the future of radiology residency interviews.

Materials And Methods: Forty-four and 39-question survey instruments developed for program directors (PDs) and applicants, respectively, were distributed through the Radiology Residency Education Research Alliance to measure the demographics, experiences with technology, attitudes toward the virtual interview season and attitudes about proposed changes to the interview process.

Radiology Stereotypes, Application Barriers, and Hospital Integration: A Mixed-methods Study of Medical Student Perceptions of Radiology.

Rationale And Objectives: Limited exposure to radiology by medical students can perpetuate negative stereotypes and hamper recruitment efforts. The purpose of this study is to understand medical students' perceptions of radiology and how they change based on medical education and exposure.

Materials And Methods: A single-institution mixed-methods study included four groups of medical students with different levels of radiology exposure.

Factors Influential in the Selection of Radiology Residents in the Post-Step 1 World: A Discrete Choice Experiment.

Objectives: Reporting of United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 results will transition from a numerical score to a pass or fail result. We sought an objective analysis to determine changes in the relative importance of resident application attributes when numerical Step 1 results are replaced.

Methods: A discrete choice experiment was designed to model radiology resident selection and determine the relative weights of various application factors when paired with a numerical or pass or fail Step 1 result.

Can the use of deception be justified in medical education research? A point/counterpoint and case study.

Deception is a common feature of behavioral research design, although not commonly employed in the medical literature. It can promote scientific validity but is ethically controversial because it compromises subject autonomy and incurs additional costs.  In this Point/Counterpoint monograph, we review the nature of deception in research and present arguments for and against its ethical use as a research methodology in behavioral studies.

You're Biased! Deal With It.

Widespread implementation of the Implicit Association Test has revealed that most doctors, and many radiologists, hold implicit racial bias. Because implicit bias is thought to drive discrimination, it has emerged as a primary explanation for radiology's ongoing racial disparity. In this critical review of the literature, which includes empirical studies of radiology resident selection, the authors argue that implicit bias is a universal human instinctual characteristic, but one that humans have the capacity to override through more deliberative thought processes.

Awareness of implicit bias mitigates discrimination in radiology resident selection.

Objectives: Implicit bias is common and is thought to drive discriminatory behaviour. Having previously demonstrated discrimination against specific applicant demographics by academic radiology departments in a simulated resident selection process, the authors sought to better understand the relationship between implicit bias and discrimination, as well as the potential and mechanisms for their mitigation.

Methods: A total of 51 faculty reviewers at three academic radiology departments, who had participated in a 2017 audit study in which they were shown to treat applicants differently based on race or ethnicity and physical appearance, were invited to complete testing for implicit racial and weight bias using the Implicit Association Test in 2019.

Asymptomatic Skeletal Cystic Angiomatosis May Be Managed Conservatively With Close Observation.

Cystic angiomatosis (CA) is a rare disease characterized by the proliferation of vascular and lymphatic channels lined by a single layer of endothelial cells. CA may present with isolated skeletal or visceral disease. There is no consensus for the standard of care in these patients, and diverse regimens for CA have been reported, including observation, surgery, radiation, and a variety of medical therapies.

A Simulation Paradigm for Evaluation of Subtle Liver Lesions at Pediatric CT: Performance and Confidence.

Purpose: To create and validate a systematic observer performance platform for evaluation of simulated liver lesions at pediatric CT and to test this paradigm to measure the effect of radiation dose reduction on detection performance and reader confidence.

Materials And Methods: Thirty normal pediatric (from patients aged 0-10 years) contrast material-enhanced, de-identified abdominal CT scans obtained from July 1, 2012, through July 1, 2016, were retrospectively collected from the clinical database. The study was exempt from institutional review board approval.

The Value of Numerical USMLE Step 1 Scores in Radiology Resident Selection.

Rationale And Objectives: In response to a recent proposal to change scoring on the United States Medical Licensing (USMLE) Step 1 exam to pass/fail, we sought to determine the value of numerical Step 1 scores in predicting success in our radiology residency program.

Materials And Methods: Residency applications for 157 residents entering the program between 2005 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Biographical (gender, sports participation, advanced degree), undergraduate (school, major), and medical school (grades, USMLE Step 1 score, Alpha Omega Alpha membership, letters of recommendation, publications) data were recorded.