The value of good medical student teaching: Increasing the number of radiology residency applicants

The authors attempted to define the value of good medical student teaching to the profession of radiology by examining the effect of radiology course improvements on the number of 4th-year students applying to radiology residencies. Course evaluation and residency application data were obtained from six consecutive classes of 4th-year medical students at the study institution, and these data were compared with national data. Between 1995 and 2000, the number of 4th-year U.S. medical students applying to radiology increased 1.6 times. At the study institution, that number increased 4.5 times, a statistically significant difference ( P = .020, x 2 test). Student survey data indicate that this increase reflects a general increase in the quality of radiology teaching in the study institution and specific changes in a required 2nd-year medical school course. These results strongly suggest that good medical student teaching pays important dividends, not only to the departments that provide it but also to the profession of radiology as a whole. Exposing students to good radiology teaching early in their medical school careers is especially important. Radiology departments that provide outstanding medical student education should be studied to help develop a model of educational best practices.