Emory University School of Medicine

We feel that the educational environment of Emory's radiology residency is second to none.  Educational opportunities abound and take several forms:

Daily read-out: With celebrated clinical faculty in every recognized subspecialty who love to teach, the day-to-day read-outs and "at the PACS" one-on-one teaching form the dominant thread in the educational fabric.  Dedicating a rotation to one subspecialty or super-subspecialty and working with expert faculty affords an unparalleled opportunity for learning and practicing all areas of radiology. The breadth and diversity of pathology we see are a direct result of our world-class teaching hospitals: Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown, which both serve as tertiary care referral centers for renowned surgical and medical specialties; the Emory Clinic and Winship Cancer Center; Grady Memorial Hospital, the major public hospital of the Greater Atlanta area, well known as a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Stroke Center, and a Sickle Cell Center; the Atlanta VA Medical Center; and Children’s Health Care of Atlanta. (Clinical sites).  The extent of our Department and our strong mix and volume of studies means plenty of examinations and procedures. 

New Curriculum: With the changes to ABR exams and in response to the new RRC/ACGME program requirements, we have developed a new curriculum. Our residents rotate through all facets of radiology within the first 3 years, including Abdominal, Breast, Cardiothoracic, Emergency, Vascular Interventional, Neuroradiology, Nuclear Medicine, Musculoskeletal, and Pediatric Imaging.  Unique super-subspecialty rotations for our residents include Neuro-Interventional Radiology, Head and Neck Imaging, and Body MRI.  Elective and non-VIR procedure rotations are available as well.  The R4 year will be comprised of 8-9 months of dedicated "mini-fellowship" time.
 

Conferences: Protected conference time is another key component of the stellar education Emory offers. To ensure that every topic is adequately covered, a structured curriculum of didactic and case conference lectures comprises the bulk of the daily noon conferences; journal clubs, call-preparation seminars, and informal topic-centered discussions (our monthly "Lunch with Chair") make up the rest.  A separate curriculum of physics lectures is given during the R1 year.  In the spring, comprehensive board review case conferences are given to seniors.  We have recently implemented an audience response system to enhance our conference experience.  Every Wednesday morning, the Department holds Radiology Grand Rounds, with special lectures from our own faculty and experts from universities across the county.  Weekly divisional conferences specific to certain subspecialty rotations and various interdisciplinary conferences round out our didactic experience. Our residents have ample opportunity to be involved in teaching of both medical students and their co-residents.

Research: Whether through our research track or traditional track, the size and breadth of our clinical Department and translational/basic science labs allow numerous opportunities for interested residents to pursue research projects. Our residents are involved in various endeavors, ranging from clinical and basic science research to quality and safety projects.  While research projects are not required, these types of scholarly activities are strongly encouraged.

National Radiology Meetings: Our residency leadership strongly advocates resident involvement in the greater Radiology community.  Resident scholarship is avidly promoted; the Department provides funding for residents to present at any national radiology meeting. Please see Compensation and Benefits for more info.  Emory Radiology typically has a strong showing at all of the major national Radiology meetings, including RSNA, AUR, ACR, ARRS, ASER, ASNR, and others.

Call: Yes, call IS educational!  Most residents we know would agree that taking call allows them to synthesize and apply their radiology education while building the skills of speed and confidence through independence (though, of course, there is always backup available from upper-level residents, fellows, and attendings).  Call at Emory includes a combination of night-float and traditional call.

Library: Reading is a fundamental part of radiology education.  A broad selection of textbooks, review books, journals, video/multimedia collections, and other resources is available at the main departmental library, subspecialty libraries, and site-specific libraries.  Our residents currently have access to Stat-Dx, our intradepartmental website, and all of the resources of the undergraduate and health sciences libraries of Emory University. A yearly professional development fund covers the purchase of radiology books and other educational tools.