Purpose: To determine the initial employment experience of 1995 graduates of radiology programs.
Materials and methods: A questionnaire was mailed to all graduates of radiation oncology programs and to a stratified, random sample of 600 graduates of diagnostic radiology programs. The final response rate was 66%.
Results: After graduation, 4%-10% of graduates worked for a period as locum tenens, worked in a job unrelated to radiology, or were unemployed. Immediate postgraduation unemployment was 2%-5%; 7-12 months later, it was less than 0.5%. Median actual salary was approximately equal to median expected salary. Radiation oncology fellowship graduates often had poorer outcomes. Almost half of the graduates with posttraining employment had a job with at least one characteristic regarded as unfavorable by some commentators (most commonly, undesirable location or no opportunity to become a partner), and at least one-fifth had and disliked such a characteristic. Geographic constraints, including the need to find employment for a spouse or companion, did not adversely affect employment outcome.
Conclusion: Eventual unemployment was low, and starting salaries have not collapsed. Generally, the implications of job characteristics are best assessed by monitoring trends, but the prevalence of non-partnership track employment may well have increased.