Curriculum

The American Board of Radiology requires a clinical year before entry into a diagnostic radiology residency program. Residents accepted into our program must have completed that year in an ACGME-accredited graduate training program in internal medicine, surgery, family medicine, or pediatrics.

The four years of our residency are spent in the traditional radiology curriculum, which offers a wide variety of instructional opportunities with extensive pathologic variation. Interactive case and didactic conferences are held daily. We bring in nationally known guest lecturers from other universities and hospitals. The clinical training program is designed for progressive, supervised responsibility for patient care in diagnostic radiology, radiation biology, radiation protection and safety, and pathology.

The diagnostic radiology clinical teaching service is divided into subspecialty areas taught by full-time faculty instructors:

Neuroradiology
Musculoskeletal
Vascular and interventional
Breast imaging
Chest
Pediatric
Ultrasonography (including obstetrical
and vascular)
Genitourinary
Cardiothoracic
Nuclear Radiology
Interventional

Third year residents attend a four week American Institute of Radiologic Pathology course in Silver Spring, Maryland. This is a program of the American College of Radiology. The registration is paid by Memorial University Medical Center and the resident may receive reimbursement toward reasonable living expenses in addition to his/her salary.

We offer an accredited early specialization in Interventional Radiology (ESIR) curriculum as an option for diagnostic radiology residents who identify early a desire to specialize in IR. Residents who satisfactorily complete the ESIR training and procedural requirements will be eligible to start in an advanced (2nd year) position in the independent IR fellowship program to which they match.

Striving for standards of excellence in resident education, patient care, and research has shaped both short- and long-term planning and has become the hallmark of this program.

Program Statistics

Our board pass rate: 96 percent for the past 17 years

First-year radiology positions (PGY-2) offered: 4

Total residency positions: 16

NRMP Program Code: 1971420A0

Program Objectives

To provide quality education in all areas of diagnostic imaging, including plain film interpretation, nuclear fluoroscopy, ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and all facets of roentgen diagnosis. To actively use medical knowledge to solve medical problems.
To provide excellent patient care. To gather data, order diagnostic tests, interpret data, make decisions, perform procedures, manage patient therapies, and work with others to provide patient-focused care.
To encourage and support research by residents in areas including basic science, clinical evaluation technology assessment, and outcomes analysis as applied to diagnostic radiology.
To analyze practice performance and carry out needed improvements. To locate and apply scientific evidence to the care of patients, critically appraise the scientific literature, use the computer to support learning and patient care, and facilitate the learning of other healthcare professionals.
To develop a therapeutic relationship with patients and their families. To use verbal and non-verbal skills to communicate effectively with patients and their families. To work effectively as a team member or leader.
To demonstrate integrity and honesty, accept responsibility, act in the best interest of the patient, and demonstrate sensitivity to the patient's ethnicity, age, and disabilities.
To demonstrate awareness of interdependencies in the healthcare system that affect quality of care. To provide cost-effective care, advocate for quality patient care, and work with hospital management and interdisciplinary teams to improve patient care.
To prepare residents for understanding the different healthcare delivery systems in operation today.
To prepare residents for certification by the American Board of Radiology.
To successfully prepare board-certified diagnostic radiologists to provide effective, competent and cost-effective medical care in today's rapidly changing healthcare environment.

The volume and variety of patients at Memorial Health University Medical Center, a Level 1 trauma center, is diverse and certainly allows for necessary and sufficient experience for residency training. There are more than 244,000 examinations performed by our department annually and there were more than 27,000 hospital admissions last year.

Teaching Conferences

During the four-year program, extensive case and didactic conferences are held daily. We invite guest lecturers in from other universities and hospitals nationwide. Residents and faculty also present at one to two journal clubs per month.

Additional Information

Memorial Health University Medical Center has a multi-million dollar education complex consisting of a 157-seat distance learning auditorium, two anatomical dissection teaching laboratories, medical education media services, and associated classroom space. Our facilities allow for two-way interactive demonstration of live procedures from the operating rooms.

The diagnostic radiology clinical teaching service is divided into subspecialty areas taught by full-time faculty instructors:

Neuroradiology
Musculoskeletal
Vascular and interventional
Breast imaging
Chest
Pediatric
Ultrasonography (including obstetrical
and vascular)
Genitourinary
Cardiothoracic
Nuclear Radiology
Interventional

Third-year residents attend a four-week American Institute of Radiologic Pathology course in Silver Spring, Maryland. This is a program of the American College of Radiology. The registration is paid by Memorial University Medical Center and the resident may receive reimbursement toward reasonable living expenses in addition to his/her salary.

Striving for standards of excellence in resident education, patient care, and research has shaped both short- and long-term planning and has become the hallmark of this program.

Rotations

First Year

First-year residents rotate through general radiology, including chest, fluoroscopy ultrasound, nuclear medicine, body imaging, neuroradiology, musculoskeletal, and pediatric radiology. There are usually two rotations in fluoroscopy, CT body, neurology, and nuclear medicine and one rotation in chest, musculoskeletal, and pediatric.

Light call begins after January in the first year with some 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. call, and some weekend day call later on in the first year.

Second Year

Second-year residents spend four weeks in special procedures, including angio/interventional and mammography. Residents receive additional training in diagnostic radiology by again rotating through fluoroscopy, body imaging, nuclear medicine (including nuclear cardiology), musculoskeletal, and pediatric imaging. They also begin to take night call.

If evaluations of clinical and educational performance are satisfactory and approved by the program director, the resident begins night and weekend call at the beginning of the PGY3 (R2) year, always with 24-hour faculty oversight.

A night float system is in place. Night float is a 7-day shift from Friday night to Thursday night from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

There is a 5pm - 8pm, short shift on weekday afternoons. Weekends are 8 am to 8 pm covered by one resident.

Third Year

Third-year residents attend a four-week course at the American Institute of Radiologic Pathology in Silver Spring, Maryland. Registration and reasonable living expenses are covered.

The third-year residents also attend a board review course. Additional training is received in angio/interventional and neuro interventional procedures as well as body, musculoskeletal, and MRI imaging.

Fourth Year

During the fourth year, residents complete training in mammography, perinatal, nuclear medicine, and cardiac. The elective rotation is usually done in the resident's chosen area of fellowship training.

Radiology Call Schedule

Radiology residents do not take independent call. There is 24-hour attending coverage.

If evaluations of clinical and educational performance are satisfactory and approved by the program director, the resident begins night call at the beginning of the PGY3 (R2) year, always with faculty back-up.

A night float system is in place.

Graded Responsibilities

Initially, first-year residents observe faculty, perform procedures, interpret films, and dictate reports. As residents become more proficient with techniques and film interpretation, residents under the direction of the faculty are permitted to dictate preliminary reports, monitor exams, and perform procedures under direct supervision. All final reports are checked and signed personally by the faculty.

By the second and third years of training, the residents are given more responsibility commensurate with their individual level of maturity, achievement, skills and experience in performing radiological procedures, film interpretation and reporting.

Resident assignments are based on an assessment of each individual's abilities and progress in order to achieve an appropriate balance between patient care standards and the promotion of each resident's competence and initiative.

However, even for senior residents, all films are reviewed and reports are checked and signed by the faculty.

During the fourth year, residents function with greater independence. They are encouraged to take on responsibility for teaching medical students and may assist in junior residents' training under faculty supervision.