Teleradiology Offers Balance for Academic Radiology Faculty
Remote work includes robust teaching, research and clinical work that can lead to promotion
This is part one of a two-part series on the career trajectory of teleradiologists. Read part two.
Despite its many negative consequences, the COVID pandemic served as a proof of concept for remote radiology work at academic institutions, paving the way for expanded opportunities for full-time remote faculty members.
“In the recovery period following COVID, our chair approached me with the idea of creating more positions for remote radiologists who would still be academicians,” said Daniel C. Oppenheimer, MD, associate professor of imaging sciences, University of Rochester in New York. “We worked together with other leaders to craft the expectations for the role and it didn’t take long for people to start calling.”
In the last two years, the department has expanded its remote academic radiology faculty to seven, including two body, three chest and two neuroradiologists. The subspecialists are involved in clinical, teaching and research from various locations across the country.
“We clearly defined the role of remote academic radiologists to have the same compensation and criteria for promotion as onsite faculty members,” said Dr. Oppenheimer, who has worked remotely for five years and was recently promoted from assistant to associate professor. “Working remotely as an academic radiologist, you can get all the benefits of being an academician whether that’s teaching or research or doing other things outside of clinical radiology that are exciting to you.”
Remote Radiologists Can Still Work Toward Promotion
One newly hired academic radiologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW) started as a fully remote employee during the pandemic.
“He was the perfect model for this role because he had been practicing for some time, had a lot of experience teaching, and was good with technology,” said Jeffrey P. Kanne, MD, professor of radiology and chief of thoracic imaging at UW.
Although his department currently includes only a handful of fully remote radiologists doing clinical work and teaching, Dr. Kanne likes the flexibility the option offers.
“We recognize life circumstances change and the reality of staffing shortages,” he said. “We've had some faculty who had to move for family reasons but wanted to continue working with us. By having them go fully remote, they were able to continue to be part of our group.”
Given the choice, Dr. Kanne would prefer to have radiologists on site where they can build professional relationships and engage face-to-face with residents. However, he said remote faculty are treated the same as their onsite counterparts.
“As long as a remote faculty member meets the criteria, there’s no reason they couldn’t be promoted,” he said. “You can still write papers, create educational materials, do clinical work and service on committees—all the things that go toward promotion.”
Remote Options Can Increase Recruitment and Retention
Although at-home reading workstations were common before the pandemic, the pandemic kicked remote radiology into high gear, moving multidisciplinary conferences online and generating sophisticated new tools for instant messaging and screen sharing that significantly enhanced remote teaching.
“I have all the computer real estate I need at home,” Dr. Oppenheimer said. “I can look at cases remotely in real time with trainees, pointing out findings, and giving teaching points, recreating a radiology apprenticeship that’s traditionally done side-by-side.”
Drs. Oppenheimer and Kanne said remote faculty positions are an excellent tool for recruitment and retention.
“This is one of the ways that we've been able to fill some subspecialty gaps in our faculty ranks,” said Dr. Oppenheimer. “You have a larger pool of highly qualified people to consider.”
Improved Work-Life Balance
Ryan Lo, MD, said he and his peers like remote work and the flexibility it offers, especially when raising a young family.
“When I left my fellowship in 2016, teleradiology was an unpopular job that meant working off-shifts and evenings,” said Dr. Lo, assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) in Milwaukee. “But when I left private practice a year ago, I looked for teleradiology opportunities.”
Dr. Lo joined MCW because it offered a greater work-life balance combined with the opportunity to train residents. Today, he divides his time between reading body and cardiothoracic imaging studies and teaching from his home located 90 minutes from Milwaukee.
“I spend my days interacting with residents and reading out cases with them,” he said. “I share my screen, pull up their report and images and we review and edit the report together. The residents really enjoy it.”
Although Dr. Lo said he knows he’s on the same promotional track as his onsite counterparts, he’s not necessarily chasing titles.
“I want to be known as a great teacher and radiologist at MCW,” he said. “The prestige of an academic title is a nice recognition of my work and contributions, but not the ultimate goal.”
Dr. Oppenheimer believes remote radiology work is a new paradigm that should be embraced.
“Obviously, you need to have onsite staff that keep the gears of the radiology department running, but you can augment your service and provide a lot of value by having a remote service,” he said. “The remote workforce allows for a tremendous amount of flexibility and balance. I think we’ve shown that it’s not only viable, but it can also allow people to thrive.”
For More Information
Read previous stories about the use of teleradiology: