Curriculum

The Einstein Medical Center Montgomery Diagnostic Radiology Program has an innovative, well-organized and comprehensive curriculum which teaches and supports residents on their journey to become an outstanding clinical radiologist. Our mission is to provide intensive residency education opportunities supported by an experienced team of core faculty as well as support from faculty across the Einstein network.

The curriculum is structured to support strong comprehensive radiology training and accommodate the new Core Examination structure. Rotations are four weeks in length with a total of 52 blocks over the four years of training. The first three years will provide the residents both hands-on and one-on-one teaching of the core radiology systems and modalities utilizing an organ-based rotation system. Elective blocks are incorporated into the fourth year to allow the residents to tailor their experience to their field of interest at a fellow level or obtain more experience in many areas of their choice. There are no Einstein Radiology fellows so our residents obtain training with increasing levels of experience and responsibility without competition for the best and most complex cases.

First Year

The first year is structured to lay a strong foundation in the core areas, learn about each modality and increase the resident's fund of knowledge. Residents will rotate through Abdominal Imaging, Fluoroscopy, Chest Imaging, Musculoskeletal Imaging, Ultrasound, Neuroradiology, Nuclear Medicine, Mammography and Interventional Radiology. Emergency Radiology is incorporated into the organ-based rotations and will include studies from across the Einstein Health Network including from a Level 1 trauma center and transplant center. These core rotations will be supported by an introduction to the fundamentals of Radiology through didactic presentations, lectures and conferences spearheaded by the core faculty and supplemented by faculty across the network. The Einstein Health Network treats a large number of pediatric patients in the Emergency, NICU and outpatient setting, and residents will get experience in pediatric imaging throughout the year on their core rotations.

No overnight or unsupervised call is taken in the first year. Residents will gain experience with weekend call beginning in September of their first year and evening call beginning in January of the first year and will always be supervised by a senior resident and faculty member. The call frequency and duty hours comply with all ACGME duty hour standards.

Second Year

The second year is structured to support and build on the knowledge and experience gained in the first year. Second year residents will be exposed to a higher level of more complex cases and also have a role teaching and mentoring the first-year residents. While some MRI exposure will occur in the first year, the second year will build on this experience with a stronger focus on learning to read MRIs and learn about protocols, artifacts, and MR physics. Residents will rotate through Abdominal Imaging, Fluoroscopy, Chest Imaging, Musculoskeletal Imaging, Ultrasound, Neuroradiology, Mammography, Interventional Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Cardiovascular Imaging.

Overnight, in-house call begins in the second year utilizing a night-float system. Call frequency is equally divided across all residents in the network and call is taken at the site of the resident's residency training program with faculty supervision.  Cases are read off a common network PACS system which allows for a diverse clinical experience including a Level 1 trauma center and transplant center. The call frequency and duty hours comply with all ACGME duty hour standards.

Third Year

The third year is structured to refine the resident’s knowledge base in preparation for the Core Examination and includes a four week Radiologic-Pathology Course at the ACR Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP). This course is subsidized by the program. The residents also have an opportunity to supplement their pediatric experience with three rotations at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The residents will learn about a large range of common and uncommon pediatric conditions including cardiac disease, advanced cardiac imaging and fetal MRI. Additionally, residents will rotate through Abdominal Imaging, Chest Imaging, Musculoskeletal Imaging, Ultrasound, Neuroradiology, Mammography, Nuclear Medicine, Interventional Radiology and Cardiovascular Imaging. The residents will also obtain second and third trimester ultrasound experience from the Einstein Maternal Fetal Medicine Department in the Antenatal Unit.

Call at the home institution is adjusted to accommodate the off-site rotations and to allow for the opportunity to prepare for the Core Examination. The call frequency and duty hours comply with all ACGME duty hour standards.

Fourth Year

The fourth year is an opportunity for the residents to tailor the program to fit their fields of interest with six elective blocks. Residents may concentrate in one area to gain a fellow-level of experience or obtain additional exposure to a wide variety of subspecialties of their choice. Rotation and cases logs are maintained throughout the four-year period. Fourth years will support their clinical experience with the opportunity to attend interdisciplinary tumor boards.

Fourth years will continue to take some in-house call. The call frequency and duty hours comply with all ACGME duty hour standards.

Conferences

Hour-long conferences occur in the morning and at noon each day. Didactic and case-based conferences are given by our experienced faculty on topics in their field of expertise. Additional specialty conferences include such conferences as Morbidity and Mortality Conference, Interesting Case Conference, Grand Rounds, Physics, Journal Club, Ethics and Critical Thinking. The core curriculum is repeated every two years.

Evaluations

Residents undergo formative core competency-based evaluations at the completion of each rotation. 360-evaluation format is used to evaluate the resident. Residents also use confidential evaluations to evaluate the program and faculty. Resident comments are valued and used to improve the program and make adjustments as required. Residents meet twice a year with the program director and their mentors respectively.

Exams

Residents participate in the annual Radiology In-Service Training exam provided by the American College of Radiology (ACR). This exam provides residents an opportunity to compare individual level of training specific sub-specialty subject knowledge with their peers at the institution and across the country. Additionally, prior to beginning in-house call in the second year the residents will take a Call Simulation Examination which the residents find very helpful to prepare them for the pace and independence of call.

Resources, Research and Technology

Residents will be provided E-books on a residency iPad to supplement their education. Residents will be provided a subscription to Board Vitals which is a website with thousands of multiple choice questions to help residents prepare for the Core Board Examination. Additionally, residents will be provided a subscription to MRI Online which is an online platform with live and recorded lectures, teaching courses and clinical cases to support case-based learning.

Every resident will develop a scholarly project which may take the form of research leading to a publishable paper, preparation of an educational or scientific exhibit, oral presentation or case report. Residents will have access to all electronic resources through the Einstein Luria Library which is available to all network house staff and students. The library and its resources serve the patient care, education and research needs of Einstein Healthcare Network's staff and students. Residents also have access to library resources of Einstein's medical school affiliate, the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of the Thomas Jefferson University. Residents may also apply for funding for a long term or unique project from the Einstein Society.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a new and exciting field and Einstein has partnered with Riverrain to conduct research projects and clinical implementation of AI initiatives in the detection of pneumothorax on chest x-ray, intracranial hemorrhage on head CT and lung nodule detection algorithms. The department has also instituted CMS-qualified clinical decision support algorithms which increase quality and decrease inappropriate imaging and radiation dose.