I am back from the SNM meeting at Salt Lake City. I will write some comments about the meeting and updates in terms of the job market, young proffesionals meeting with the residents, etc...
To give you all an idea, a waste of time and money.
I disagree.
It worths our time and money.
As I said before, we need fight for ourselves, we can not keep silent.
I attend the SNM meeting, I heard lots of heart breaking stories from graduating NM residents... And, some attendings are laid off, or received termination of contract notice...
I strongly believe that:
1. we need speak up, through an organization, against any Radiology department have NM residency refuse to hire NM residents for NM vacancies, especially hire General radiology graduates without NM fellowship---If they have fellowship, I think they have priority over pure NM residents. Especially more and more hospitals are buying PET CT, but only hire radiologist for the vacancy, and let NM residents run the service.
If anyone know such an example, we should fire a "discrimination" lawsuit against the department, set up an example and stop the trend.
2. NM specialty is booming, but NM physician in US is dooming. The radiology is taking advantage of the opportunity. More and more radiology resident are getting into NM fellowship...
On the other hand, the NM in Asia (Japan, China) and Europe is fantastically good, they are expanding, hiring...
BTW, after interviewing with a community hospital for a PGY3 radiology spot, I decided to stay in my current NM program, even they intended to offer me the spot. Why? The hospital doesn't have PACS, still read X-ray films, not digital, only have 16 slice CT (going to buy a 64 slice CT), single detector SPECT, no SPECT/CT, old generation of PET CT, no electronic medical record system, everything is still on paper....
I am encouraged by the prosperous NM in Asia, and I will go back to my home country in Asia next year if I can not find a job in the US.
3. Radiology with NM fellowship will beat pure NM residents in the US. However, in the long run, these radiologists will lose interests in NM, they will still want to go back to radiology. NM fellowship is helping them to find a job at this moment---Because radiology residents also facing job issues now, though is much better than us. And, those guys are not willing to do NM research, usually.
So, years later, NM vacancies opens, however, Asia and Europe will far more superior to the US, both in clinical practice and research.