Our Educational Program

The objective of our program is to provide high quality teaching and supervision which allows residents to:

• Acquire sound radiological and medical principles
• Continue to develop good medical judgment
• Provide safe, thoughtful, practical patient care
• Present and discuss conference case material in a logical manner
• Become competent, board-certified diagnostic radiologists, well prepared for either private or academic practice

The residents rotate through four integrated hospitals, each of which affords a different educational experience. One is a tertiary referral institution (University of Colorado Hospital); one is a public safety net hospital and trauma center (Denver Health Medical Center); one is a federal facility (Veteran's Administration Medical Center); the fourth is a pediatric institution (The Children's Hospital of Denver). Our new Anschutz Centers for Advanced Medicine at the Fitzsimons Campus of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center is a state of the art clinical and educational facility. The PACS system and new PET, CT, MRI, digital mammography, and other equipment, in a beautiful new structure, prepares trainees for the medicine of the future. By 2007, it is anticipated that the entire UCHSC campus with its now in-patient and outpatient facilities will have transitioned to the Fitzsimons campus. We are also affiliated with the National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine. Each hospital has an excellent faculty to provide the necessary teaching, supervision and consultation required for residency education and high quality patient care.

In the first three months of each academic year, introductory topics are emphasized in scheduled conferences. The radiologic approach to major organ systems (i.e. cardiac, pulmonary, genitourinary, gastrointestinal, skeletal, etc.) is presented. Fundamental techniques of ultrasound, nuclear medicine, CT and MRI are also covered, along with basic departmental procedures and policies. Each first year resident takes evening in-house call with a senior resident prior to taking in-house call independently. Residents are progressively allowed more responsibility and are prepared to take independent night call later in the first year (currently beginning in February). Regular faculty reviews are conducted on all radiologic examinations, including those performed and interpreted at night and on weekends.

From the beginning of the residency program, residents receive daily staff supervision. However, trainee independence is gradually increased until by the final year of training, residents are often functioning on their own (with staff consultation readily available).

For the purposes of monthly rotations through the four hospitals, the program is divided into subspecialty services including chest/cardiac radiology, breast imaging, skeletal radiology, GI/GU radiology, pediatric radiology, neuroradiology, nuclear medicine, body imaging including ultrasound, CT and MRI, and angiography and interventional procedures.

Following completion of each rotation, a monthly written evaluation is prepared for each resident by the appropriate faculty member. Progress is discussed with each trainee by the Program Director and semi-annual evaluations are prepared and reviewed with the resident. Residents also evaluate each rotation and the teaching faculty for each rotation monthly. The Residency Program Director and Department Chairperson review these evaluations which are an important component of faculty promotion decisions.

Residents attend the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) course in Washington, DC, usually in their third year. They attend national and local radiological meetings such as those of the Radiological Society of North America, the American College of Radiology, the Colorado Radiological Society, and the Rocky Mountain Radiology Society. The department funds one trip to a major national meeting sometime during the four years for each resident. Additional travel funds may be available for residents presenting papers or representing the residency program at other meetings.

The teaching conferences within the Department of Radiology are organized to cover a curriculum which is completed on a two-year cycle. In theory, the entire curriculum in the field is covered twice during the residency. Because our field is constantly evolving, it is never exactly the same the second time through, however. The residents from all of the hospitals in our system come together on Wednesday afternoon for didactic lectures which emphasize a different subspecialty each 3-4 weeks. Noon conferences the other days of the week are usually case conferences.

The medical physics/radiobiology lecture/laboratory curriculum is geared towards preparing residents for the exams of the American Board of Radiology., Although most of our conferences are given by faculty, residents do organize and present some conferences. Each resident is required to present a conference based on research or extensive literature review during the second and third years of training. A weekly "proven case" conference is organized by the Chief Residents, with different residents bringing the case material each week. Conference attendance is mandatory for all residents.

A special course in Emergency Radiology is offered for first year residents during the first six months of the training program. The course meets weekly and provides a strong foundation in basic/emergency radiology prior to beginning independent call.

Approximately two months of elective time is usually available to each resident. This can be used to pursue research interests or for additional clinical experience within our system or outside institutions.

A new competitive research rotation has been established for those interested in doing more in-depth or basic research. This can range from 4-16 weeks and generally is open for third year residents.