The road to success: Factors affecting the speed of promotion of academic radiologists

Rationale and Objectives. The authors' purpose was to determine the factors influencing the speed of promotion of academic radiologists. Materials and Methods. Three hundred forty-three surveys from faculty members of academic radiology departments with continuous academic careers were analyzed for time in rank at assistant and associate professor levels in relation to publication rate, grant funding rate, and distribution of professional time. Individuals promoted faster than the median time (6 years for assistant professors, 5 years for associate professors) were considered "fast track" and were compared with the remainder of the group. Results. At the assistant professor level, fast track individuals had significantly higher rates of total publications and original articles than did others. At the level of associate professor, fast track individuals had significantly faster rates of publication of original articles, but no significant difference existed in total publication rate. No significant difference was found in the rate of funding of fast track individuals and others. Those with funding were not more likely to be on a fast track than those without funding. Fast track individuals spent significantly more time in administration at the assistant professor level than did other faculty, but no other significant differences were discovered in time distribution at the assistant or associate professor level. Conclusions. The rate of publishing original articles at the assistant and associate professor levels and the rate of overall publication at the assistant professor level were the most important parameters in predicting speed of promotion.