Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine Fellowship Program

Trauma/Critical Care Fellowship

Urgent care patient flown in helicopter to Shock trauma center

This 1-year position is spent working primarily in the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center (STC) and University of Maryland Medical Center Emergency Department (ED). The STC admits approx. 8,000 patients annually with blunt and penetrating injury as well as critically ill nontrauma patients transferred from around Maryland and parts of adjacent states. The radiology facility is adjacent to the 13-bay trauma admitting area and provides 24-hour multidetector CT service, high-resolution digital angiography and intervention, fixed and mobile digital radiography, a total-body digital screening unit (Statscan), and an integrated PACS system with voice recognition. Two CT scanners (40-slice and 16-slice Philips systems) are currently adjacent to the patient admitting area. The CT reading room adjacent to the admitting area provides 2 reading stations (2 2K monitors), a large screen-projection LCD for conferences and case display, and CT Philips MX IDT, as well as TeraRecon postprocessing workstations.

Patients admitted to the trauma center stay within center, which provides 72 intensive care beds and 40 subacute beds. The section radiologists thus follow each patient throughout his or her hospital course. The trainee will be responsible for interpretation of imaging studies performed in the center (excluding angiographic procedures), with emphasis on CT and MR imaging. Daily teaching of medical students, radiology residents assigned to the section, and/or residents on electives from other departments is a fundamental part of the fellow’s responsibilities. Two weekly teaching conferences are held with residents. Also, the fellow should present 2 or 3 formal lectures or case conferences to the radiology residents during the year. The fellow is expected to be involved in or initiate research during the fellowship experience.

Section faculty and fellows provide evening coverage (4 pm–midnight) to the trauma center and ED in rotation (every 5–6 weeks). In addition, weekend daytime study interpretation is performed by the faculty or fellow in the STC every 4th or 5th weekend. Overnight coverage, from 11 pm to 7 am, is also provided by the section. Staff performing this call will receive substantial financial compensation and 7 days of time off for each 7 nights of coverage.

The 52-bed, state of the art emergency facility is located in a new hospital tower adjacent to the trauma center. A dedicated 64-slice multidetector CT is located in the ED, as well as 2 direct digital radiographic units. The ED reading room has 3 reading stations on networked Agfa PACS and Philips, with TeraRecon thin-client postprocessing capacity. MR imaging and angiography are located near the new ED facility. The ED covers primarily nontraumatic emergency and walk-in patients. The trainee will have the opportunity to work 1–2 days weekly in the ED. Arrangements can be made, if desired, for the trainee to participate in the activities of another radiology division or section 1 day per week.

Clinical research within the Trauma/Emergency section is both encouraged and supported by the staff and department. The section director is Stuart E. Mirvis, MD, FACR, Professor of Radiology. The section currently has 5 additional full-time staff members. One or 2 fellows are hired each year.

For additional information about fellowships in Trauma/Emergency Radiology, contact: Stuart Mirvis, MD, section director, at: smirvis@umm.edu.

This page was last updated on: January 10, 2008.