An extensive departmental conference schedule averages 10 hours per week. It includes lectures, "hot seat" case conferences, physics lectures, journal clubs, visiting professor lectures, a combined interdepartmental quality-improvement conference with the Emergency Medicine Residency and a CME Tidewater Imaging Conference. Residents are expected to participate in selected conferences given by other departments, including the quality-improvement conference and tumor boards. Residents also assist with teaching medical students.
In addition to participation and attendance at interdepartmental conferences, each resident serves on a hospital committee such as Medical Executive Committee, Peer Review Committee, Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee, Root Cause Analysis and Safety Committees. Resident members on the Radiology Residency Program Evaluation Committee are involved in shaping the residency and continuously improving the educational experience.
Research opportunities are available throughout all four years.
First year
Residents are exposed to a wealth of clinical material in all facets of diagnostic radiology, with a combination of organ system- and modality-based rotations. Clinical rotations in the first year of residency are typically four weeks long. In the first year, residents have fundamental rotations in most of the subspecialty areas: learning skills in reading and dictating studies, developing procedure proficiencies, preparing for first call experiences through basic reviews of emergency radiology, taking buddy call on weekends and participating in didactic learning at morning and noon conferences.
Rotations are mostly fixed for the first year, allowing residents to get solid exposure to six core radiology disciplines: plain radiography, neuro CT, body CT, ultrasound, nuclear medicine and fluoroscopic imaging. Lectures and case conferences each day help first-year residents take in the large volume of new material. Lectures in emergency radiology are tailored to teach the critical findings and management of cases typically seen in an emergency room or trauma setting. First-year residents take no solo call but participate in "buddy call" with a senior-level resident toward the end of their first year.
Second and third year
More advanced rotations in the second and third year include high-risk obstetrics ultrasound, peripheral vascular ultrasound, computed tomography angiography (CTA), cardiac imaging (including readouts with pediatric radiologists specializing in imaging of congenital abnormalities and with adult cardiologists specializing in cardiac MRI and CTA), a practice management course, a four-week American Institute for Radiologic Pathology course in radiologic pathology and additional rotations through more common organ system and modality rotations. The first rotation in interventional radiology is in the second year.
Most residents feel comfortable doing ultrasound- and CT-guided biopsies, drainages and tube placements, vascular procedures, myelography and lumbar punctures, joint injections and aspirations, and hysterosalpingograms by the end of their second year. Attending radiologists provide close supervision of procedures initially, then allow residents more autonomy as they become more confident.
The bulk of the call is handled in a weekly night float system beginning in the second year, covering Emergency Radiology for two hospitals. There is a direct attending backup, and attendings are available to come in for IR, pediatric radiology or general support. Call responsibilities are weighted toward the second year of residency so that senior residents can shift their attention and energies toward board preparation.
Substantial elective time is built in during your third and fourth years. With only four residents per year, a significant amount of rotation flexibility allows the schedule to be tailored to residents' areas of interest.
Fourth year
With wide-range of clinical sites and wealth of studies, there are options for three- or six-month "mini-fellowships" during their fourth year.