Program Description
Our program consists of four years of Diagnostic Radiology beginning with the PGY-II level. All first-year residents are selected through the National Resident Matching Program. The four-year Diagnostic Radiology curriculum is designed to involve the resident directly in image production, interpretation and patient care from the beginning of his or her training.
The radiology residency program at this Medical Center is very resident-oriented. In the early phases of the residency, supervision by the Diagnostic Radiology staff is close, and there is gradual assumption of responsibility by the resident as experience and expertise increase.
Residents are exposed to all subspecialties of Diagnostic Radiology within the first two years of their four-year curriculum. During these years, it is expected that residents will grasp the basics of each subspecialty and, early in their experience, will begin to integrate the multiple imaging disciplines. In the third and fourth years of the curriculum, all subspecialty rotations are repeated during which time reinforcement of the basics and acquisition of the subtleties of each subspecialty are expected. A three-month elective block is available in the third or fourth years for the resident to pursue areas of special interest.
Competition for our residency slots is intense, and we are fortunate to match highly for all of our positions each year. We now have one research track position (filled through the NRMP match) that encompasses three years of clinical diagnostic radiology instead of four (PGY-2, PGY-3, and PGY-5), with the third residency year (PGY-4) designated as a research year to pursue an approved (peer-reviewed funded) research project under a MD or Ph.D. clinical or research mentor. The goal of this new track is to permit academically-inclined residents to gain the research experience they need to competitively pursue academic careers. Participants in this track (one resident per year) exceed the ABR requirements for taking the ABR board examination at the completion of training and graduate within the same four year period as their peers.
The University of Utah Radiology residency program provides the resident two wonderful advantages. First, there is a considerable amount of one-on-one teaching time with the faculty. Second, there is a large amount of hands on experience available for the residents. A popular and unique program feature is a realistic "mock" oral exam that is administered by the Radiology faculty to all residents each spring that is styled after the ABR oral Board exam that all residents take in Louisville, KY at the completion of their training. Case material is chosen to be board appropriate, and the examination conditions are styled to closely imitate those of the real examination.
