Clinical Excellence

Curriculum

We commend your decision to become a radiologist and are delighted that you have taken the time to learn more about our radiology residency program.

There are multiple roles you may choose to play in radiology, including diagnostician, teacher, researcher, policy maker, and administrator. While excellence in clinical radiology is our top priority, we also recognize the importance of these additional roles and support residents in obtaining skills and opportunities in these areas.

Program details are as follows.

Education

Teaching in each clinical section occurs both at the workstations and in small group sessions. We use the preview system, in which the trainee interprets the images first and the findings are then reviewed one-on-one with a staff radiologist. All of our faculty are subspecialty trained, bringing out the fine points of image interpretation and procedural skills that will serve the trainee well in clinical practice.

There are two resident teaching conferences daily, at 7:45-8:15 am and 12:15-1:15 pm. The conference format is varied, including case-based teaching sessions, non-interpretive mini-courses, and didactic lectures. Resident participation is emphasized, with audience response systems often utilized to promote learning and encourage participation.

In most divisions, residents participate in additional small group teaching case review sessions daily.

Diagnostic Radiology Residency Call System

Night Float

R2-R4 residents cover the emergency department from 10:30 PM to 7:30 AM as a 6-day block from Sunday evening until Saturday morning, for approximately 6 weeks during the course of residency. Saturday Night Float shift is covered on a rotating basis by residents throughout the year. When the Consult resident (see below) leaves at 2:00 AM, the Night Float resident also assumes the inpatient radiology pager. Although the Emergency Radiology Division is staffed by an attending 24 hours/day, the Night Float resident is provided plenty of autonomy, as the resident reading room is physically connected to the emergency department, and is separate from the attending reading room area, but benefits from continuous readouts, direct feedback and teaching throughout the night.

Consult

Consult is our after-hours inpatient rotation. One R2-R4 resident provides preliminary reads for inpatient x-ray, CT, MRI and Ultrasound studies performed from 7:00 PM until 2:00 AM as a 6-day block from Sunday evening until Saturday morning for approximately 6 weeks during the course of residency. The Saturday evening Consult shift is covered on a rotating basis by residents throughout the year. The resident works independently on this rotation, but attending back-up is available (in-house by the Emergency Radiology division and for each individual section by pager). First year residents do not participate in Consult coverage

In-House Weekend Call

Our In-House weekend shift is scheduled for Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays from 10 AM until 7 PM. The resident spends the morning in neuroradiology working with an attending, the afternoon in abdominal radiology working with a fellow and attending, and in the evening, assumes the responsibility of the “Consult” resident (see above). First year residents do not participate in In-House coverage.

Pediatrics

Residents participate in in-house overnight and weekend call while on rotation at Boston Children’s Hospital (13 consecutive weeks in the second year). Call frequency varies depending on the number of residents rotating through Children’s per block; group size varies from 7 to 14 residents. Residents cover radiographs and assist the overnight attending in performing and interpreting cross-sectional imaging and other studies. While at Children’s Hospital, residents do not have any overlapping BWH call responsibilities.

Angiography/Interventional Radiology

Residents assigned to the Angio/IR rotation participate in the home call pool with the Angio/IR fellows. Residents are assigned one weekend of “home-call” per month and occasional weekdays of service. Residents and fellows field calls from home related to emergency cases and care of all post-procedure Angio/IR patients. When assigned call on the weekend, the resident will also round on post-procedure patients and assist attendings with procedures as necessary. While on Angio/IR, residents do not have any overlapping BWH diagnostic call responsibilities.

Pathways

Clinician-Scientist Research Pathway (CSRP)

Residents specifically interested in a career that includes basic science or translational research can apply into the Clinician-Scientist Research Pathway (CSRP) at the end of the R2 year. Residents in this pathway are given a total of approximately 8 months or more of dedicated research time during the R3 and R4 years during which they learn the fundamentals of performing NIH-funded basic science or translational research in an established laboratory. CSRP residents present their research at the annual department research symposium. Publication of research is expected and grant writing is encouraged.

Center for Evidence-Based Imaging (CEBI)

Residents specifically interested in evidence-based imaging and quality improvement can apply at the end of the R2 year into a combined Residency and Fellowship Training Program at the Center for Evidence-Based Imaging (CEBI). This program is run in conjunction with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness. This program combines 12 months of translational and performance improvement research with 12 months of a radiology clinical fellowship in any radiology subspecialty. Residents are expected to remain at BWH for the clinical fellowship component of this program to maximize learning and continuity.

Early Specialization in Interventional Radiology (ESIR)

Early Specialization in Interventional Radiology (ESIR) pathway: Qualified second-year DR residents may apply to the BWH ESIR pathway, which includes dedicated time in the fourth year to rotations in IR and IR-related rotations that will help satisfy the IR procedure requirements to become eligible to match into an advanced (2nd year) position in a one-year Independent-IR program to begin upon completion of the DR and ESIR training (4 years DR residency, 1 year ESIR, 1 year IR residency)

Dual DR/NM Pathway

Trainees in this pathway are fully integrated into both the diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine programs, both of which are ACGME-accredited programs. The first three years of training are dedicated to training in diagnostic radiology, and the last year of training is focused on nuclear medicine and molecular imaging, with opportunities for translational research and electives tailored to each individual’s interests and career goals. Trainees are expected to successfully sit for both the ABR diagnostic radiology and ABNM nuclear medicine board examinations.

Residents completing the combined DR/NM pathway can choose to complete a second year of dedicated nuclear medicine training, may opt to complete an additional diagnostic radiology fellowship, or can complete their training after completion of the DR/NM pathway.

Extraclinical Tracks

Business and Management Leadership Track

his elective is intended to provide the resident with formal leadership development training. Largely resident-driven, possible opportunities for leadership development include the ACR Radiology Leadership Institute annual Leadership Summit, courses through Harvard Medical School, and Harvard Macy Institute professional development courses. The elective will culminate in a leadership final project.

Clinician-Educator Track

This elective is geared towards residents with a passion for medical education that seek formal training and experience in the field. The elective is built upon 7 major themes: 1) learning theory, 2) hands-on teaching, 3) curriculum design, 4) evaluation & feedback, 5) mentorship 6) educational leadership and 7) research. Each section has a set of learning objectives and assignments. The elective is intended to comprise 12 weeks, though can be shortened based on timing and the particular interests of the resident. Throughout the elective, the trainee will generate a teaching portfolio to build upon throughout his or her career.

Clinical Data Science Track

Since 2018, our residents have participated in a unique 4th year Clinical Data Science pathway at the Data Science Office (previously, the Center for Clinical Data Science or the “CCDS”). Through this pathway, under esteemed mentorship, our residents receive training in machine learning and artificial intelligence and engage in collaborative data science projects. Many of our recent graduates have gone on to continue this work and hold leadership positions at the intersection of clinical radiology and artificial intelligence. Learn more about the Data Science Office here.

Global Health Track

While briefly on hold due to the pandemic, Brigham Radiology has a rich history of humanitarian efforts throughout the world, including past endeavors Navajo Nation in Shiprock, New Mexico, to Mirebalais Hospital in Haiti and most recently, Kigali, Rwanda, where radiologists from Mass General Brigham helped create the first radiology residency program. Fourth year residents have the opportunity to travel to Rwanda (travel and housing expenses paid) alongside MGB attendings for up to three weeks. Additionally, there are weekly shared educational conferences/teaching opportunities that residents can participate in remotely. Through the MGB Centers of Expertise, additional travel/research grants can be awarded to residents seeking funds to perform other humanitarian work.