Clinical training

During the Diagnostic Radiology Residency, your clinical training covers all subspecialty areas of diagnostic radiology. You participate in radiologic examinations, interpretations, and interventional procedures while on rotations in every subspecialty.

Rotation schedule

Rotation	Length
Nuclear radiology	20 weeks
Mammography	12 weeks
Neuroradiology	14 weeks
Body CT	13 weeks
Chest radiology	12 weeks
Musculoskeletal radiology (including MRI)	12 weeks
Gastrointestinal radiology and fluoroscopy	12 weeks
Vascular and interventional radiology	12 weeks
Ultrasound	10 weeks
Hospital radiology (emergency department, inpatient general radiology, CT, ultrasound, and procedures)	20 weeks
Pediatric radiology	9 weeks
Cardiac radiology	4 weeks
Obstetric ultrasound	4 weeks
American Institute for Radiologic Pathology course	4 weeks
Practice quality improvement (PQI)	3 weeks
Elective (depending on 4th-year rotation choices)	14 weeks- 36 weeks

Note: The total number of weeks does not equal four years due to multiple rotation offerings.

Rotation descriptions

PGY-1

During the first year, you participate in film interpretation, special procedures and fluoroscopy under the direct supervision of a staff radiologist. The major emphases are on:

• Musculoskeletal radiology
• Thoracic radiology
• Computerized tomography (CT)
• Gastrointestinal radiology
• Ultrasound
• Hospital radiology, including procedures

Audiovisual materials, didactic lectures, roundtable discussions, independent study, film packets, and case discussions are included.

PGY-2 and PGY-3

As a second- and third-year resident, you take rotations through all radiologic subspecialties. While you still work under staff supervision, you have greater responsibility. In addition to rotations in cardiac radiology and obstetric ultrasound, you revisit subspecialty areas, working at a more independent level.

In your third year, you attend the American Institute for Radiologic Pathology four-week course in Silver Spring, Maryland. Mayo Clinic pays the tuition and subsidizes housing expenses for this popular off-campus experience.

PGY-4

In the fourth year, you are given more responsibility for performing and interpreting examinations. You have 39 weeks of elective time that allows you to gain additional expertise in areas of your choice. Most residents choose electives in CT, ultrasonography, interventional radiology, neuroradiology, or MRI. You may also develop a unique elective course in a specific area of interest.

Fourth-year residents are given the option of continuing with 12 four- to five-week rotations, or they can choose up to three three-month elective rotations to gain additional experience in areas of their choice. There are three required one-month rotations during the fourth year, including mammography, hospital radiology, and nuclear medicine.

Didactic training

Clinical conferences, formal courses, seminars, small discussion groups, journal clubs, and one-on-one instruction are all integral parts of the Diagnostic Radiology Residency. Didactic opportunities include:

• Introductory course for first-year residents
• Noon didactic and case conferences (five days a week) given by residents, staff and visiting professors, with an additional Friday morning case conference weekly
• Physics and radiobiology course
• American Institute for Radiologic Pathology course
• Faculty-assisted research seminars
• Several weekly and monthly subspecialty multidisciplinary conferences
• Board review course
• Diagnostic radiology library (American College of Radiology and Mayo Clinic teaching files, texts, periodicals, and electronic educational media) with interactive study stations

Physics education

There are several components to the physics education program for residents:

• Imaging and radiation safety orientation. A course that presents basic principles of each imaging modality and radiation safety.
• Radiologic physics course. A course covering radiation physics, diagnostic imaging, radiation biology, and radiation protection. The Department of Radiology's faculty medical physicists teach the course.
• Physics board review. A series of interactive review sessions offered to residents prior to taking the American Board of Radiology Core Exam.
• Informal physics consultation. The Department of Radiology's medical physicists are available to residents for consultation and assistance regarding topics such as clinical imaging principles, research project design and implementation, and radiation safety issues.

Radiology Teaching File and library

The Mayo Clinic Radiology Teaching File contains pathologically proven cases that are worked up, researched, and entered into the permanent file for resident education. The American College of Radiology teaching file is included as part of the electronic teaching file system. The department's library contains computers for residents and fellows, proprietary database search software, extensive audiovisual materials, and a large collection of pertinent journals and textbooks.

Research training

All diagnostic radiology residents are required to present two seminar projects during their residency. Seminar projects are focused on topics of your choice. The seminar is a 30-minute lecture and presentation prepared under the direction of a consulting staff adviser.

These seminars usually are based on a review of Mayo Clinic's experience with a particular disease or the investigation of a new technology as it relates to a particular problem. Recent seminar topics have included:

• Accuracy of enhanced MRI in detection of recurrent lumbar discs
• Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism by fast CT
• Hepatic cavernous hemangioma: Re-evaluation of CT criteria
• Magnetic resonance flow measurements to screen for chronic mesenteric ischemia
• Intraoperative ultrasound after carotid endarterectomy

All residents also participate in additional research projects and are expected to have at least one publication or presentation during their training. In addition, all residents participate in a practice quality improvement project.

Call frequency

General in-house call (subject to change)

• R1: One weekday night each week from January to June from 5-9 p.m. (with supervision from upper level resident)
• R2: Approximately 16 weekday nights and 12 weekends on average
• R3: Approximately 12 weekday nights and six weekends on average
• R4: Approximately 15 weekday nights and one weekend on average

*Of note, our call schedule complies with ACGME guidelines.

Interventional call

All diagnostic radiology residents take two weeks of IR call each year of their residency (eight weeks total over four years).

Teaching opportunities

You have the opportunity to teach Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine students, visiting students from other medical schools, junior residents, and other residents spending elective time in diagnostic radiology. Normally, this includes discussing cases from the Radiology Teaching File and assisting with daily assignments in film interpretation.

Conferences

There is at least one hour-long radiology teaching conference each day. The conferences encompass all aspects of radiology and include radiology-pathology correlation, resident case conferences, staff case conferences, didactic lectures, visiting professor lectures, and satellite teleconferences. There are several additional weekly and monthly subspecialty multidisciplinary conferences in which residents participate.

Case studies

You prepare case-of-the-week presentations developed from material you present at conferences. These include a summary of the pertinent diagnostic imaging procedures of an interesting case, an in-depth discussion of that case, and a current bibliography.

Case review sessions

At various times during your residency, you spend several hours each week with a consultant viewing cases that are designed to build interpretive skills. The cases are thoroughly discussed by the presenting staff in an informal setting. Areas covered include:

• Musculoskeletal radiology
• Thoracic and cardiac radiology
• Gastrointestinal radiology
• Mammography
• Neuroradiology
• Nuclear medicine
• Pediatric radiology
• Ultrasonography
• Genitourinary radiology
• Vascular and interventional radiology

Career development

You meet periodically with various faculty members, administrators, and the residency program director to discuss your professional goals. Mayo recruits many of its staff physicians from its own training programs, so when you successfully complete the Diagnostic Radiology Residency, job opportunities may be available at one of Mayo's group practices. Mayo's vast alumni network is an asset and resource, providing opportunities in both academic radiology and private practice.

Evaluation

To ensure that you acquire adequate knowledge and develop your technical skills, your performance is monitored carefully during the course of the Diagnostic Radiology Residency. Your supervising faculty member formally evaluates you after each clinical rotation. In addition, you regularly evaluate the faculty to ensure that your educational needs are being met.

The Department of Radiology's Program Evaluation Committee continually monitors the Diagnostic Radiology Residency. Elected junior and senior resident representatives are active members of this committee.