Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program
Description of Training Program
The Diagnostic Radiology residency program, directed by Diane Twickler, M.D., is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Associate Program Directors are Shellie Josephs, M.D., David Chason, M.D. and George Curry, M.D. Dr. Curry, who directed the program for 25 years, was one of the first recipients of the Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, presented annually to ten program directors in all specialties. Dr. Curry is the first radiology program director to be so honored. There are currently 58 residents in the program, and approximately 13 positions are available each year.
We will be recruiting for both July 2009 and July 2010 during the period December 2008-January 2009. Effective July 1997, the American Board of Radiology requires five years of training for Board eligibility, including one year of clinical training and four years of training in Diagnostic Radiology. Thus, medical students graduating in 2009 have the option of applying to our 5-year program for July 2009, or applying for the four-year program beginning July 2010 and matching for an internship for July 2009, or both. Candidates at the PGY-2 level or higher may apply for July 2010 (NRMP #2835420A0).
The integrated five-year program includes the required clinical training in addition to the radiology residency training. The curriculum is structured in accordance with American Board of Radiology requirements and has been approved as an innovative training program by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. PGY-1 residents spend the first six months completing the core curriculum in Diagnostic Radiology, followed by six months of required clinical rotations, including Emergency Medicine, Surgery Trauma, Orthopedics, and Urology. All clinical training is completed at Parkland Memorial Hospital. The remaining clinical training consists of electives completed during the third year of residency. Some degree of flexibility will be allowed for residents who have special interests. The first graduates of this program completed their training in June 2002 and were certified by the American Board of Radiology. The NRMP match number for this program is #2835420C0.
The clinical teaching program is based at Parkland Memorial Hospital, where residents receive approximately two-thirds of their training. The monthly rotation schedules are structured to give residents sufficient training in each of the radiological subspecialties. The 45 clinical faculty members are dedicated to the education of future radiologists, and one of the strengths of the teaching program is the extensive interaction between staff and residents.
New residents begin their training with a general orientation and a series of introductory lectures relating to the various clinical subspecialties, radiological physics, radiation biology, and radiation safety. The first year is devoted primarily to rotating through the basic services of thoracic, musculoskeletal, body imaging, neuroimaging, and emergency radiology. Subsequent years include further training in these fields, plus training in nuclear medicine, PET and PET-CT, magnetic resonance imaging, breast imaging, interventional radiology, pediatric radiology, and radiological physics.
Radiology teaching conferences are held twice daily throughout the year and include both didactic lectures and case presentations. Radiology Grand Rounds are held monthly with prestigious visiting professors, offering the opportunity to meet and learn from leading national authorities addressing a wide variety of topics. Excellent clinical conferences in medicine, surgery, pathology, and the various clinical subspecialties are available. Strong support in the basic sciences is provided through formal courses in radiation biology and radiological physics in preparation for the physics portion of the American Board of Radiology examination.
Training in radiologic pathology is available through a four-week elective at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C. A complete radiology library is available at Parkland Hospital as well as the American College of Radiology teaching file and a large collection of videotaped lectures and electronic educational material. The on site library at UT Southwestern has approximately 240,000 volumes, 2,400 serial publications, and a growing collection of slides, audiotapes, videotapes and films.
The American College of Radiology In-Training Examination, a practice exam, is given each year to residents in the department. Intensive review sessions are held for residents taking the American Board of Radiology oral examinations. That our residents are well qualified to excel on Board examinations is evidenced by the fact that they consistently score in the top 25% nationally on the written examination.
Residents begin taking night call after twelve months of training and continue to take call for three years. The program has recently implemented a night float system for call at Parkland Memorial Hospital. During the last year of residency, residents who have been released from night call, assist with staff weekend coverage. At present, two radiology residents are on duty each night at Parkland Hospital, one is at Children's Medical Center, and one is at the VA. Residents must remain in the hospital all night, and a call room with bed and TV is provided. Residents on call at the VA and CMC are excused from duty the following day. However, call policies and procedures are modified periodically according to the needs of the department.
The majority of residents complete a subspecialty fellowship following completion of their residency training. We have been fortunate that many of our residents have remained with our department for their fellowship, and many have joined our faculty. In addition to our own department, recent graduates of our residency program have obtained fellowships at Emory, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, University of Washington, Cornell Medical Center, Washington University and University of California at San Francisco.
Additional information about our program may be obtained from FREIDA Online at www.ama-assn.org and click on Physicians & Med Students.
