Education and Evaluation
Intradepartmental Conferences
The residency training program has a strong didactic component. Resident conference takes place at midday Monday through Friday and rotates between subspecialties. A comprehensive two-year rotating core curriculum utilizes the ABR Core Exam Study Guide. This structured curriculum enables each resident to be exposed to the majority of conference topics twice prior to graduation. Journal club is held monthly and also rotates between subspecialties.
In addition to extensive clinical experience, radiology residents also participate in a number of conferences. Resident-driven quiz conferences are the focus for good-natured fun and competition.
Physics education is accomplished with blended learning approach. We utilize excellent classroom instruction from radiological physics educators in the department combined with the independent learning component of the RSNA Phsyics modules, which are high quality, peer-reviewed interactive online exercises. Certificates earned by residents upon completion of these required RSNA modules are uploaded to residents’ portfolio to fulfill this requirement for promotion to the 3rd year of the residency curriculum.
Extradepartmental Conferences
Interdisciplinary conferences are important in the integrated clinical and educational experience in radiology at WVU. When on designated services, residents are required to participate.
Weekly - Comprehensive Lung Cancer Conference, Multidisciplinary Surgery/Tumor/Breast/GI Conference, Pediatric Grand Rounds, Orthopedics Grand Rounds, Neuropathology Conference, Neurology Grand Rounds, Medicine Clinical Pathology Conference, Pathology Conference, Pediatric Oncology Conference, Tumor Board Conference, Trauma Surgery Conference.
Bi-weekly - GYN/Oncology Conference, Brain Cutting Conference, Combined GI, Medicine, Surgery Conference.
Monthly - Combined Neuroradiology, Neurosurgery and Neuropathology Conference, ENT Conference, ER Radiology Conference, Pulmonary Radiology Conference, Urology Conference, Pediatric Conference, Orthopedic Tumor Conference, OB/Pediatrics Conference and Genetic/High Risk OB Conference.
AIRP (American Institute for Radiologic Pathology) in Washington, D.C. is the site for a 4 week radiological pathological correlation training course attended by 3rd year residents before ABR Core exam.
Senior Board Prep
The months leading up to taking the ABR Core Exam are stressful times during a resident's career. The WVU program is organized (by gated promotion requirements, curricular design, and content) to ensure that each PGY4 resident is prepared to perform well.
3rd year residents attend the 4 week AIRP course in Washington, DC during the Spring prior to taking the ABR Core Exam. Each resident is paid their salary plus given a generous stipend ($3,000 last year) for living expenses.
Beginning in early March and continuing until the ABR Core Exam, the 3rd year residents who are scheduled to take the exam are scheduled in rotations that are primarily interpretive (i.e., do not have as heavy direct patient care workload, do not have major procedures of long duration, do not require as much communication/coordination with referring services as the more procedurally oriented rotations). These also are rotations in which the faculty supervised clinical learning opportunities efficiently run from either 7:30 or 8:00 am and finish up at 4:30 or 5:00 pm. When the work finishes early, 3rd year residents are sometimes excused early during the pre-exam blocks.
Board Review Series
Faculty members present high-yield unknown cases to the 3rd year residents preparing for the ABR Core exam.
Testing
Formative assessment is an important advantage of our program. Sound educational practice in GME involves cultivating good skills of self-assessment, so each trainee builds skills in self-regulated learning. Recognizing gaps in knowledge and taking initiative to seek and use resources to remedy those gaps are key skills for lifelong success.
The WVU program liberally utilizes assessment to help trainees monitor their progressive mastery. Advantages of Test-Enhanced Learning are a happy side effect of this robust program of ongoing assessments that help residents gain skills in self-regulated lifelong learning.
- January ACR Diagnostic In Training Exam: scored against National peers
- ED Sim: 8 hour high fidelity OSCE exam simulates a busy ED radiology shift: scored against National peers and provides specific feedback on cases missed by observational error, interpretive error, or Communication error. Performance feedback on this simulation affords each resident the opportunity identify knowledge gaps and improve weaknesses.
- Quizzes/questions embedded in RadPrimer: provide %correct scoring
Evaluation
Anonymous evaluations are completed monthly through the online MedHub E-value system for and by both residents and faculty members. The CCC accumulates and reviews rotation evaluations, results of testing, evaluations by patients, technologist, and nursing staff and advises the program director on each resident’s progress in the ACGME Milestones. Based on these, the program director meets individually with each resident, providing feedback on progress. Career counseling, mentorship, and placement of graduate residents into high quality fellowships or practice situations are high priorities of the program leadership and department.