Among recent radiation oncology residency graduates, only 4.3% accepted jobs in rural counties, according to a study published May 17 in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics.
Here are five things to know from the study:
- Kunal Sindhu, MD, assistant professor in the department of radiation oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System, led the study.
- The research team used public data to analyze the first permanent jobs accepted by radiation oncology residency graduates in the U.S. between 2015 and 2022.
- Of the 4.3% of graduates who chose a first job in a nonmetro county, 40% chose jobs in nonmetro counties that were not adjacent to a metro area.
- New residency graduates from larger residency programs were less likely to accept a first job in a nonmetro county.
- Overall, new residency radiation oncology graduates were more likely to choose a first job in a county that had a higher population, higher median household income, more access to hospital and healthcare services, and more primary care physicians per 10,000 people.
Read the full study here.
