Introduction

The Radiology Residency Program is a fully accredited program leading to eligibility by the American Board of Radiology. The radiology residency is a four-year program. Residents are usually accepted via the Match in the Supplemental Position format. Current fourth-year medical students would apply to both our Supplemental positions (NRMP Program Code 298062) and to a Preliminary year of their choice. Special arrangements have been made to give priority to our applicants for entry into the Transitional Residency at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, VA or the Internal Medicine Preliminary Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

History and General Description

Radiology residencies existed in Norfolk General Hospital and DePaul Hospital for many years before the creation of Eastern Virginia Medical School. In 1977, the programs were combined and became affiliated with the Medical School. Now, more than 20 years later, the residency is an integrated training program based at three major teaching hospitals:

• Sentara Norfolk General Hospital,

• Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, and

• Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center

Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters are the major tertiary referral and trauma centers for a metropolitan area of approximately 1.6 million people. Residents also rotate through Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center and Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. These institutions perform a total of approximately 210,000 diagnostic examinations per year.

The combined faculty includes forty full-time radiologists with sub-specialists in neuroradiology, angiography, pediatric radiology, ultrasound, nuclear medicine (including PET), chest, GU, GI, musculoskeletal radiology, mammography, body CT scanning, and MRI. Procedural experience includes interventional and neurointerventional radiology and a variety of guided biopsies, aspirations, and drainages. The opportunities for hands-on experience and direct faculty-resident contact are exceptional.

Location

The program is based on the campus of Eastern Virginia Medical School, located west of downtown Norfolk in an upscale urban neighborhood called Ghent. Shopping, theatres, nightlife, and housing are within easy walking distance. There are many excellent local housing choices, including Virginia Beach and many fine suburban neighborhoods. The Norfolk metropolitan area was recently selected as the best large southeastern city in which to live by Money Magazine.

Norfolk is the main city for business, sports, and cultural events in the larger region known as Hampton Roads. The Virginia Symphony, Virginia Ballet Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, and the Virginia Opera Association all have regular production seasons. Virginia Beach is the largest area city by population (~400,000) and has been named one of America's safest large cities. The area is home to two large amphitheaters and many small venues, attracting a variety of musical acts which would appeal to anyone.

The coastal Virginia area is in the same climate zone as cities much further south. This mild climate, tempered by the ocean, has four distinct seasons, but the winter is very short. Outdoor sports such as golf and tennis can be comfortably played about 10 months per year. Many of our residents have also been sailing, windsurfing, or fishing enthusiasts. The Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean are readily available for these activities.

Less than an hour's drive from Norfolk is the historic triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. Another historic Virginia area, the Shenandoah Valley, is a leisurely four-hour drive away. The Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Eastern Shore of Virginia/Maryland, Skyline Drive, and Washington, D.C. all offer nearby weekend recreation opportunities.

Objectives

After training at EVMS, residents have the clinical and educational background needed to function competently in clinical practice or academic fellowships and to succeed on National Boards. The depth of experience achieved by EVMS radiology residents is widely acknowledged, and is a significant factor in the residents routinely obtaining their top choices for fellowship and/or jobs.

Curriculum (overview)

Residents are exposed to a wealth of clinical material in all facets of diagnostic radiology, with a combination of organ system and modality based rotations. Clinical rotations are scheduled on a week by week basis, with most rotations lasting three to five weeks consecutively. Fundamental rotations in the first several months, along with basic reviews of emergency radiology, prepare first-year residents for their first call experience.

Rotations are complemented by introduction to advanced imaging modalities in neuro and body CT and ultrasound. The first angiographic experience is in the second year and is generally 12 weeks long. Specific rotations for upper level residents include OB ultrasound, neuroangiography, peripheral vascular ultrasound, a self-study cardiac radiology unit, and introduction to practice management, in addition to the more common organ system and modality rotations. Elective time for seniors allows for in-depth study in one modality.

Most call is covered with a "night-float" Emergency Radiology rotation. There is a direct attending backup by teleradiology and attendings are available to come in for angiography, pediatric radiology, or general support. Call is lessened in the fourth year for Boards preparation with study time set aside prior to Boards. Organized Orals preparation is also provided.

An extensive intradepartmental conference schedule averages 10 hours per week. It includes didactic lectures, "hot seat" case conferences, physics lectures, journal club, a visiting professor program, and a CME Tidewater Imaging Conference. Residents are expected to participate in selected conferences given by other departments within the Medical School. A six-week course of study at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology is provided for every resident. Research opportunities are available throughout the four years.

Information for Prospective Applicants

All applications to the program should be made via the Electronic Residency Application System (ERAS). We have chosen not to mandate a specific preliminary year or to incorporate it as a Categorical program. This allows maximum flexibility for individuals who may need to spend that year elsewhere for family reasons or who wish to undertake a clinical year in surgery.

IF YOU ARE A U.S. MEDICAL SCHOOL SENIOR:
We suggest that you take USMLE Step II in the fall of your senior year. Otherwise, your scores will not be available in time to contribute to your application.

IF YOU GRADUATED PREVIOUSLY FROM A U.S. MEDICAL SCHOOL:
If you will have completed at least one year of clinical postgraduate training at an ACGME-accredited program, you can apply through ERAS.

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