Curriculum
The curriculum provides progressive, supervised responsibility for patient care and ensures that the supervised residents perform those procedures commonly accepted in all aspects of diagnostic radiology.
Rotations & Research Endeavors
| ROTATION | APPROXIMATE LENGTH IN TIME |
|---|---|
| Thoracic Imaging | 16 weeks |
| Diagnostic Cardiovascular Imaging | 6 weeks |
| Musculoskeletal Imaging | 12 weeks |
| Acute Care Imaging | 8 weeks |
| Abdominal Imaging | 24 weeks |
| Neuroradiology (including Head & Neck Radiology) | 20 weeks |
| Ultrasonography | 16 weeks |
| Pediatric Imaging | 16 weeks |
| Breast Imaging | 12 weeks |
| Vascular & Interventional Radiology | 24 weeks |
| Nuclear Medicine | 18 weeks |
| American Institute of Radiologic Pathology (AIRP) | 4 weeks |
Up to 1 month can be dedicated to research endeavors with appropriate approval from the program director and sponsoring project mentor. Residents are encouraged to engage in investigative projects under faculty supervision. Research opportunities are available throughout the four years. Training in computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging is integrated with the work in each of the subspecialty sections. The maximum period of training in any subspecialty area is no longer than 16 months.
Residents are required to maintain a log (analog or digital), in which they document the performance, interpretation, and complications of vascular and nonvascular interventional procedures. The log is reviewed by the program director during semiannual counseling sessions with each resident.
Lectures & Conferences
During the four years of training, morning, noon, and afternoon conferences are held on a regular basis. The Core Learning Series includes three components - didactic lecture series including physics, interactive conferences, and non-interpretive lectures.
Didactic lectures are presented on alternating Thursday afternoons and cover all aspects of Diagnostic Radiology. On the alternate Thursday afternoons, interactive conferences and non-interpretive lectures are given. At each institution, the noon hour is devoted primarily to unknown case presentations with resident participation. Physics lectures are given on an annual cycle. In addition, residents are encouraged to attend and participate in a variety of departmental and interdepartmental conferences in conjunction with their clinical counterparts.
Curriculum by Year
Training during the first year is divided among all three integrated institutions, although primarily at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. This includes rotations through all subspecialty areas except breast imaging & cardiovascular interventional radiology. All images are analyzed with a faculty member on a one-to-one basis. Residents evaluate the examination, and then review their interpretation with a faculty member with special expertise in that area of imaging.
Call responsibilities begin after the first year of residency. Second-year residents take junior call at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center primarily responsible for Emergency Department studies under the direct supervision of the senior resident and faculty as part of the Acute Care Imaging (ACI) service with teleradiology faculty backup.
During the second and third years, residents assume progressively greater responsibility for radiological consultations, medical student teaching, image interpretation, & the performance of procedures. Residents rotate through all sub- specialty areas including breast imaging and nuclear medicine. Rotations at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center, West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center, the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles occur primarily during this time.
During the third year, all residents have the opportunity to attend a six-week course in radiologic-pathologic correlation at the Registry of Radiologic Pathology of the American Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP) in Silver Spring, MD with tuition paid by the Department.
Third-year residents function as the senior resident while on call at UCLA, guiding the junior residents and providing interpretations of inpatient studies, both at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, again as members of the ACI service with teleradiology faculty backup.
During the fourth year, residents assume even greater responsibility, and all residents receive advanced training in elective subspecialties as part of Self-Directed Subspecialty Training (SDST), and if desired, in research under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
Fourth-year (and third-year) residents serve as consultants, interfacing with clinicians and conducting general radiology as well as weekly pathology conferences under faculty supervision.