Education & Curriculum

Resident Education:

Resident education and patient care are the highest priorities of the department.  Residents learn by performing all the day-to-day tasks in a given section, including protocoling and monitoring exams, interpreting exams independently and subsequently alongside faculty and dictating full reports. The low number of fellows in the department makes this a “resident-driven” program, where residents learn to run the section, interpret more advanced imaging modalities and cases, and perform advanced procedures, duties often reserved for fellows in larger departments. While most resident education occurs via direct interpretation of imaging studies, resident education is also provided via multiple other channels.

Didactic Lectures

Protected time is provided for radiology conferences. Faculty provides didactic and case-based conference during the lunch hour daily. Morning conferences are also conducted several days per week. Residents may also attend subspecialty interdisciplinary conferences while on rotation for a given section. Departmental Morbidity and Mortality review conferences are also held regularly. Conferences are webcast for those at other locations.

Research

Residents work alongside faculty in performing research, writing case reports and review papers, and submitting posters to various national radiology conferences. Residents with posters or presentations at a national conference can then attend the meeting, with travel costs covered by the department (upon approval by the Chairman).

Section Learning Goals:

On Medhub, each division has training-level appropriate learning goals and milestones for on-service residents. There are also recommendations for reading material and a list of specific topics to be covered.

Online and Hard-Copy Resources:

Residents are provided with subscriptions to Statdx and Radprimer for self-directed learning. Residents also have access to the ACR RadExams for self-assessment. Numerous additional online textbooks are available through the Himmelfarb Health Science library as well as in print within the radiology resident lounge and at Himmelfarb, located in Ross Hall, across the street from GW Hospital. VPN access through Himmelfarb also provides access to online collection and databases for study and research.

Pediatric Radiology:

Pediatric radiology rotations are at affiliated Children’s National Hospital, a nationally ranked children’s hospital. Here residents train under GW medical faculty (CNH faculty have dual appointments), just a few miles away from the main campus.

AIRP (American Institute for Radiologic Pathology):

All residents attend this four-week course dedicated to radiology-pathology correlation during their 3rd year. This usually takes place in Silver Spring MD, in the suburbs of Washington DC, however is currently online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mini-fellowship:  

Residents may devote up to 3 months of their fourth year to a mini-fellowship in a section of choice. Residents may use this to get a head-start on fellowship or as an opportunity to get additional subspecialty training in an area of interest outside of their planned fellowship.

Health Policy Rotation:

Interested residents can take a month long elective in Health Policy during their 4^th year, offered through the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Resident Assessment:

Residents are evaluated by faculty in each rotation through the MedHub portal, with evaluations available to residents for review. Residents are also formally assessed via the national DXIT in-service exam and a yearly in-house OSCE to ensure that they are on track for the ABR Core Certification Exam. Residents are also encouraged to take ACR RadExams following each rotation for self-assessment.

Yearly Curriculum:

Year I:

Residents rotate through the core subspecialty services in four-week blocks with 2 rotations through Body/CT, Neuroradiology, Ultrasound, MSK, and Chest imaging. Residents also spend up to 4 weeks in Nuclear Medicine, Pediatrics (at partnering Children's National Hospital), Interventional Radiology and GI/Fluoroscopy. August-December, R1s take plain film weekend call once every 4-6 weeks; this entails reading overnight inpatient and ER plain films alongside an attending physician for a few hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Beginning in January, residents start supervised "buddy" call in accordance with ABR guidelines. Approximately one weekend per month, they function as the daytime call resident, providing preliminary interpretations on all studies and triaging general radiology inquiries. Senior residents are also present in-house and review these studies prior to releasing reports. There are no night call shifts for first year residents.

Year II:

Residents continue through the core subspecialty services and begin rotations in Breast Imaging and Cardiac Imaging. Night and weekend call duties also start during the R2, where residents work autonomously (with on-call fellow/attending back-up coverage available if necessary). Residents take 11 weeks of night call during their residency as well as covering weekend shifts; R2 year is the most call-heavy with 5-6 of these weeks. The remainder of call is divided between the 3rd and 4th years (see FAQs for further discussion of call scheduling/distribution).

Year III:

The third year is less call-intensive and is more focused toward board preparation with the ABR Core Examination in late May/early June. During this year, residents also select their chosen field for fellowship and go through the application process. On service, there is increasing autonomy; by R3 year senior residents "run" the service, taking consults and conferring with consulting physicians from other departments.  Residents spend also four weeks at the American Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP) course during the fall or spring. Designated study time is provided in April and May.

Year IV:

Following ABR core exam completion, there is a more clinical approach to the fourth year.  The residents continue rotations through the various sections including an optional 3 month “mini-fellowship."

The resident is expected to function as a true fellow during this time with elevated responsibilities and expectations, culminating with a Grand Rounds style conference presentation to the department.