Massachusetts radiology resident attitudes toward mammography

Purpose: To investigate and document the attitudes toward careers in breast imaging among Massachusetts radiology residents. Method: Written surveys were distributed to all senior radiology residents in the state asking whether they were interested in pursuing a fellowship in breast imaging or whether they planned to interpret mammograms as part of their future practice. If they were not interested, residents were asked why. Results: Of 63 residents who responded, only 1 was interested in a breast-imaging fellowship. Only 3% of radiology residents surveyed in the state agreed that they would like to spend a substantial time interpreting mammograms in the future. The most common reasons cited for not wanting to interpret mammograms in the future were "fear of lawsuits" (76%) and "not an interesting field" (49%). Conclusions: Very few Massachusetts radiology residents are interested in pursuing breast imaging in their future careers. This lack of interest in breast imaging will ultimately affect women's access to breast imaging services in the future.