Dear Residents Insider,
In an era in which radiation dose is paramount and technology is, well, everything, what better way to prepare residents for the road ahead than to put medical physics training right at the start of year one? And have senior residents teach it for good measure.
That's what residents at the University of California, San Francisco decided to do. They saw that this year's revamped board exam schedule gave them some wiggle room regarding what could be taught when and how. And they also saw that they could prioritize medical physics.
Figuring that residents might learn more about medical imaging faster if they were exposed to the concepts early, they incorporated physics into the start of residency training, in the first month of the first year. The results have been very encouraging; you'll find them in this issue's Insider Exclusive.
Another study confirms what some residents probably already knew: Residents are as effective as experienced radiology faculty in teaching other residents -- or maybe the residents just like them better. The authors aren't saying that experienced teachers don't know a thing or two that younger teachers don't. They're saying that residents possess many other fine qualities that make them ideally suited to teach other residents. Click here to learn more.
Those great resident teachers are also keeping busy before students even make the decision to enter radiology, according to a new report from Boston. Educators at Harvard Medical School have revamped the radiology clerkship -- mandatory for all of the school's medical students -- to make it more participatory and small-group friendly. Surveys suggest that the students are learning more about radiology, including difficult concepts that might have baffled them under the previous structure. Learn more about the newly popular clerkship here.
Then again, these programs had better do something to spark interest in radiology. A new analysis of Google trends data found that searches for "radiology residency" have been falling for a decade, raising the specter that without enough new radiology trainees applying for matches, the whole soufflé could flop and training programs could be left without enough qualified residents. Thank goodness it's just a trends analysis. Also, find out what radiology residency question people really want answered before they embark on a long training program.
Of course, it's hard to blame medical students for their purported lack of interest in radiology, given the persistently awful job market and the stubbornly low level of residency slots available in the match. Yet despite what anyone might think, the work is out there, according to a new survey. But it might not be your dream job, the researchers caution -- while also daring to suggest that the number of jobs means the number of residency slots should be reduced. Don't miss this interesting report on radiology job prospects.
Last but not least, those darn iPads really are worth the hype for radiology residents, concludes a new report from Tufts School of Medicine. Why? Because the tablets improve just about everything in radiology residency, from communication to evaluations. Get the report right here in your trusty Residents Digital Community, which you can read on your iPad if you're so inclined.
