Employment-seeking experiences of residents in 1996: a window into the neurology marketplace.

OBJECTIVE: To assess career choice and employment-seeking experience of senior neurology residents in 1996.

METHODS: Graduating residents in adult and pediatric neurology (n = 573) were surveyed to obtain career plans, initial job selection, health care attitudes, and demographic information. Results were compared with 1996 data on all United States neurologists and data from an American Medical Association (AMA) resident survey regarding the employment status of new physicians.

RESULTS: Survey response rate was 71%. There was a significant increase in international medical graduates and women entering neurology compared with the current workforce. Seventy-four percent of graduates planned to enter a fellowship position; 19%, private practice; 5%, an academic position; and 2%, a career outside of clinical medicine. Neurology residents differ from aggregate national data because only 28% of residents responding to an AMA survey across all specialties applied to fellowships in 1996. Overall, 44% of neurology graduates planned an academic career.

CONCLUSIONS: Changing demographics and career choice of recent graduates may require continued monitoring and could be important in neurology workforce planning. The high rate of fellowship training and plans for academic careers in 1996 is of interest and may reflect both resident response to new demands in the changing health care market and a need to modify residency programs to enhance academic training and competitiveness of neurology graduates.