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The radiology residency at Eastern
Virginia Medical School offers strong academic training in Diagnostic
Radiology, in a supportive environment and in a community with
extracurricular activities that can appeal to most anyone. As a
residency applicant looking at a career in radiology, I felt it was
difficult to gauge a program simply through a brief visit or short
conversations with staff and residents. For those of you interested in
pursuing a career in radiology, I offer this as a look at our residency
from a resident's perspective.
The radiology residency is housed on the campus of Eastern Virginia
Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia - a campus it shares with Sentara
Norfolk General Hospital, the tertiary referral hospital for a
community of 1.6 million people and a Level 1 trauma center, and
Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters, the largest free-standing
pediatric hospital in the state of Virginia. The campus is located near
the Elizabeth River, within a beautiful and historic residential
section of Norfolk known as Ghent. Many medical residents live in
Ghent, and take advantage of the fine restaurants and art galleries in
the area. Others choose to live in the suburbs of the surrounding
cities in Hampton Roads, with amenities of suburban living.
The radiology residency matches four
individuals in each class, for a total of sixteen residents, including
two chiefs. The residents have their own conference room, call room,
library, computer room, and chief's office.
The new first-year radiology residents
start their residency with exposure to six core radiology disciplines:
plain radiography, neuro CT, body CT, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and
fluoroscopic imaging. Didactic lectures and case conferences each day
help the new resident assimilate the large volume of new material.
Approximately four months into residency, lectures in emergency
radiology are given and are tailored to teach the critical findings and
management of cases typically seen in an emergency room or trauma
setting. The new first-year residents take no solo call, but do
participate in "buddy call" towards the end of the initial six-month
period.
Call for first-year residents begins in
late December of their first year. The bulk of the call is handled in a
night float system, with residents covering two hospitals overnight for
six nights in a row. Our call can be intense at times, but there are
always attending radiologists available to support you should you need
help. The process of managing multiple traumas with two busy EDs would
perhaps never be called fun, but it is often deeply satisfying to work
with the residents in other fields of medicine on tough cases
overnight, leaving in the morning feeling like you have helped make a
critical difference in the care of a patient. Call responsibilities are
weighted toward the first two years of residency, so that senior
residents can shift their attention and energies toward board
preparation.
Rotations are mostly fixed for the
first two years, allowing the resident to get solid exposure to the
core radiology disciplines. More elective time is built in during your
third and fourth years. The day starts at 7:00 AM with morning
conference, typically didactic, with residents reporting to their
clinical rotation afterwards. The day typically ends around 5:00 PM,
with an hour for lunch and noon case conference. The resident has no
responsibilities during the weekend unless they are on call, which
averages three times per year.
Procedure competency is a real strength
of this residency, with most residents feeling completely comfortable
doing ultrasound- and CT-guided biopsies, drainages, and tube
placements, a myriad of vascular procedures, myelography and lumbar
punctures, joint injections and aspirations, and hysterosalpingograms
by the end of their second year. Attending radiologists provide close
supervision of procedures initially, then allow the resident more
autonomy as he or she becomes more confident.
One of my favorite aspects of the
residency is the visiting professor program. At least six times a year
a radiologist noted in their specialty is invited to spend the day with
the residents. All residents are excused from their clinical duties on
these days. Lectures are typically didactic and case-oriented, and
these days provide a great chance to get exposure to other programs or
even new and developing modalities. Residents join the guest professor
for lunch at a nearby restaurant, and often for dinner the night
before. This allows the residents a real opportunity to socialize with
people who are making significant contributions to the field of
radiology.
The attending radiologists at EVMS are
superb - they are bright and dedicated people and well-respected by the
clinicians they serve. The great majority are fellowship-trained from
outstanding programs all over the country, and enjoy teaching. Perhaps
as important, they are very approachable. The work environment at any
of the rotation settings is consistently positive, with residents
enjoying a congenial relationship with support staff and faculty.
Residents at EVMS do well on the boards and graduate prepared for the
rigors of private practice or fellowship alike.
I have enjoyed my time at EVMS, and the
process of becoming a radiologist. I also find the campus at EVMS and
the Hampton Roads area to be a beautiful environment in which to train.
I wish you the best in your search for a program that fits your needs,
and success in becoming a radiologist.
Sincerely,
John Plemmons, M.D.
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