Free work forces.

Current residency application stats demonstrate a concerning dip in radiation oncology positions filled in the initial 2019 match, which many say is an unconcerning free market correction to a weak job market. In other words, worse job market → fewer applicants → fewer matches → fewer graduates → better job market. Ok, great. Except this response counters that this logic breaks down at “fewer matches → fewer graduates” considering self-interested residency programs will continue to find ways (oh, hello, SOAP) to sustain the cheap workforce to which they’ve all become accustomed. In fact, despite the lowest number of applicants in a over a decade, falling far below the number of open positions, the absolute number of rad onc residency positions in 2019 frighteningly surpassed that of 2018, to 196 from 192. TBL: Free market forces aren’t at play when writing follow-up notes and contouring normal structures are on the line. | Agarwal, Pract Radiat Oncol 2019