Curriculum - Diagnostic Radiology Residency
The program is fully approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and the American Board of Radiology. All residents must complete an ACGME-approved clinical internship prior to beginning this program. Four years of diagnostic radiology training are then required.
In any given year, a variable number of fellows in different subspecialties are in training in the department. Care is taken to be certain that fellows do not supplant residents for faculty time or case material.
Our Diagnostic Radiology residency program is approved by the ACGME to be designated as Early Specialization in Interventional Radiology (ESIR). Interested residents in their second year may choose to follow a slightly different curriculum in their third year and devote most of their fourth year to the pursuit of interventional radiology related rotations. Alternatively, first year residents interested in pursuing double certification by the American Board of Radiology and the American Board of Nuclear Medicine may choose to follow a slightly different curriculum in their second and third years and devote most of their fourth year to the pursuit of nuclear medicine related rotations. Otherwise, the standard curriculum allows approximately 40 weeks of elective time in the fourth year.
Our residency program is excited to offer two other optional "tracks" for interested residents. Our Educator Track involves gaining formal training in medical education. This longitudinal curriculum consists of four parts: bimonthly seminars on timely topics in education, practicums or real-life teaching experiences, mentorship with a seasoned educator, and a capstone project on a major topic in medical education. Two or three residents are selected to participate in the Educator Track each year. Our Research Track allows selected residents to work on clinical and/or bench research projects with one or more of our outstanding faculty for up to twelve months during the four-year residency. The time devoted to this track may be concentrated in the fourth year or may be a longitudinal experience through all four years of residency. All of our residents are provided two weeks of dedicated "scholarly activity" time in their second and third years in order to pursue education projects, research projects, or Practice Quality Improvement projects.
Rotation Schedule
The first year of radiology residency (R1) is targeted towards providing a solid exposure in the fundamentals of radiology and preparing residents for call which begins in the second year.
The second year of residency (R2) continues to build on the fundamentals with significant responsibilities in the emergency and trauma radiology sections. The bulk of call occurs during the R2 year.
During the third year (R3), residents consolidate their knowledge by rotating again through almost all of the services. In addition, the R3 year promotes preparation for the American Board of Radiology Core Exam. The department also sponsors all residents to attend the 4 week ACR Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP) course. Our program has the wonderful distinction that eight of our University of Maryland faculty serve as course lecturers, including the AIRP section chief in cardiothoracic imaging.
The fourth year of residency (R4) allows for exploration in the resident's area(s) of passion. Residents are able to build an elective schedule that conforms with their needs and wants.
All rotations occur at the University of Maryland Medical Center or the Baltimore VA Medical Center, which is attached by a walking bridge to UMMC.
Imaging Physics
All aspects of imaging physics are taught on a continuing basis and comprehensively reviewed in the year in which the resident is to take the American Board of Radiology Core Exam.
Coverage
Radiology residents have night call duty and remain in the hospital overnight, with 24-hour in-house attending oversight. Independent resident in-house call begins in July of the second year, with an average of five 2-week blocks. Weekends are covered on a rotating basis. A second resident covering angiography and special procedures also remains in the hospital overnight. Call residents are relieved of duty the following work day. Faculty and fellows also maintain call schedules in general radiology, special procedure areas, and nuclear medicine. The total working hours for residency, resident call, and authorized moonlighting are not allowed to exceed 80 working hours per week. Unauthorized moonlighting is prohibited.
Conferences
Two daily resident conferences are held, one at 7:30 am and the other at 12:30 pm. The morning conference is dedicated to didactic lectures given by the subspecialty faculty. During the first month of the academic year, faculty members give introductory lectures targeted to the first year residents. Later on, the lectures are organized around a core resident learning curriculum. The format of the daily 12:30 pm conferences is varied but, in general, is more focused on case-based conferences, with some presentations by faculty and others by residents. Discussion of unknown cases by residents is emphasized. For a period before the administration of the American Board of Radiology Core Exam, conferences are focused on board preparation. At the end of the academic year, conferences are focused on pre call preparation for the rising second year residents before they start taking in house call. There is a robust departmental grand rounds program, featuring presentations by nationally prominent clinicians and scientists.
Weekly interdepartmental conferences are held in each of the imaging subspecialties, allowing resident attendance when rotating through the corresponding subspecialty.
Special conferences in the Department of Radiology include Journal Academy, Quality Academy, Economics Academy, Education Academy, Research Academy, Informatics Academy, and Wellness Academy, among others. Our Journal Academy (journal club) is moderated by Dr. William Olmsted, who served for 22 years as the Editor of RadioGraphics, the journal of the Radiological Society of North America dedicated to publishing peer-reviewed educational material. Quality Academy is dedicated to presentation and discussion of quality methodologies and quality initiatives within the department and throughout the medical center. Economics Academy and Education Academy utilize our outstanding staff and administrative resources to present timely information on economic issues and education issues, including Faculty Development. Research Academy is one part of our Enhanced Research Experience Program designed to facilitate resident research, and Informatics Academy takes advantage of multiple world-renowned informatics experts on our faculty. Wellness Academy, coordinated by resident wellness "champions" with faculty oversight, addresses timely wellness issues and includes fun activities for the residents. Finally, Diversity Academy is dedicated to presenting and discussing topics related to diversity, inclusion, and health equity.
Community Outreach
Since 2020, the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine has worked with the UMB Cure Scholars Program, a STEM pipeline program for middle and high school students in West Baltimore. We introduce the scholars to the field of radiology and use imaging to complement what they have learned in their year-long anatomy curriculum. Several residents have created and presented content for these sessions.
Residents can also take part in community outreach activities related to breast cancer education. Faculty and residents have volunteered at events sponsored by the Baltimore City Cancer Program and have given talks at community sites in the area.
Evaluation
Residents are evaluated by the faculty at the end of each rotation. A compilation of these evaluations is supplied to the residents during personal semiannual meetings with the program director. Residents are required to take the American College of Radiology In-Training Exam yearly. Anonymous written evaluation of the program and the faculty is solicited from the residents semiannually.
More Information
For more information about the Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine or to contact one of our radiologists, call the University Physicians Consultation and Referral Service at 1-800-492-5538 (patients) or 1-800-373-4111 (physicians).