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Objective:
There are data to support a radiology resident’s choices regarding fellowship selection, yet these choices likely impact their career paths. This abstract evaluates the impact of specific fellowship selection on various career paths subsequently pursued by radiologists.

Materials and Methods:
Datasets from the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) were utilized to extract numbers of trainees completing radiology residency and an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medicare Education (ACGME) approved radiology fellowship from 2011 to 2020, as well as those pursuing three specific career paths: working in an underserved area after training, pursuing an academic position after training, and staying in-state after fellowship training. A univariate logistic regression model was used to calculate the odds ratio and 95% CI of the association of completing each radiology fellowship and likelihood of pursuing each career path, compared to just completing diagnostic radiology residency without additional fellowship.

Results:
Compared to nonspecialized radiologists whot just completed general diagnostic residency training, radiologists were more likely to practice in underserved areas after completing the following fellowships: abdominal radiology (odds ratio: 1.42; 95%CI: 1.04-1.94), pediatric radiology (1.36; 1.07-1.72), and vascular and interventional radiology 1-year fellowship (1.16; 1.01-1.33). Radiologists were more likely to pursue an academic career after completing the following fellowships: pediatric radiology (2.58; 2.15-3.08), endovascular surgical neuroradiology (2.52; 1.32-4.79), nuclear radiology (2.39; 1.59-3.59), and neuroradiology (1.25; 1.10-1.41). None of the fellowships evaluated were associated with a decreased likelihood of pursuing an academic career. Radiologists were more likely to remain in state after completing an integrated interventional integrated radiology program (5.54; 2.32-13.2) and less likely after completing pediatric radiology (0.80; 0.67-0.96) and vascular and interventional radiology 1-year fellowship (0.78; 0.70-0.86).

Conclusion:
Compared to general nonspecialized diagnostic radiologists, trainees who completed several specific radiology fellowships were more likely to practice in underserved areas, pursue academic positions and remain in state or leave the state of their training. Notably, the specific type of training program completed by interventional radiologists was significantly associated with whether one practices in or out of state following their training. Radiologists choosing among fellowship programs should be aware of the specific ways that this decision can impact their future career paths.