Diagnostic Residency Training Program
The University of North Carolina Diagnostic Radiology residency training program at UNC Hospitals is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The Residency Program Director is Dr. Keith Smith. The program is a four-year training experience, leading to board eligibility in Diagnostic Radiology, and is in accordance with the training requirements of the American Board of Radiology.
The program requires an internship prior to entry. BLS and ACLS certification are required. Eight radiology residency positions are available each year. These appointments are renewed on a yearly basis depending on satisfactory completion of the previous year. The American College of Radiology in-service examination is offered to all residents on a voluntary basis. This educational exercise is used solely as an indicator for the resident and department to provide feedback on each resident's performance when compared to peers nationwide.
The curriculum is based on rotation blocks. Each rotation consists of a four-week concentration in one of the subspecialty areas of radiology. There are 13 four-week blocks per year. At the end of each rotation, the resident is evaluated by the faculty and obtains feedback on his/her performance in that area. The director of the residency program meets with each resident on a semi-annual basis to review the resident's progress and to offer suggestions, when necessary. The time also serves as an opportunity for the residents to discuss specific aspects of the program and any concerns they may have. The residents similarly evaluate the faculty and the program on an annual basis.
Goals & Programs by Year
The primary goal of the UNC Department of Radiology has been, and always will be, to deliver quality patient care. We strive to provide compassionate, appropriate, and effective care of optimal value, and we demand professionalism from residents, attendings, and support staff alike. With this in mind, the Department of Radiology provides services to a diverse patient population at a 708-bed hospital facility 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Over 180,000 radiological studies are performed annually.
As patient care is one of the best settings for learning, UNC residents have a significant amount of interaction with the patient population as well as supervised review of radiographic studies by attending staff. In addition to the core radiology attending staff, there is a full-time staff of medical physicists, epidemiologists and computer technologists who provide resident teaching throughout their tenure at UNC. Resident teaching and resident conferences are a high priority.
Interactions with the clinical staff are an integral part of being a well-rounded radiologist. Residents are involved with numerous correlative seminars with housestaff clinicians to provide them with better insight and understanding regarding the radiological diagnosis and to give the radiology resident a better understanding of the clinical significance of imaging findings. Radiology residents also participate in teaching by giving lectures to medical students beginning in the second year of residency. Each radiologist must be a team player, and the UNC program strives to develop these personal qualities within its residents.
Aside from clinical responsibilities and resident teaching, research is an important aspect of the UNC curriculum. Though there is no specific requirement for resident research, a variety of opportunities are available to the residents throughout the Department. Research opportunities can be found in every major area with supervision from attending physicians and support staff. By the end of four years, many residents have published at least one paper.
It is the hope of the Department that at the conclusion of four years of training, the resident will be a well-rounded radiologist who is well versed in all aspects of radiology, from plain-film interpretation to performance of cutting-edge interventional procedures.
Year 1
The first-year resident spends most of his or her time learning the basic disciplines of radiology, including chest, GI/GU, pediatrics, musculoskeletal, mammography, ER, and basic imaging (ultrasound, CT, nuclear medicine). The training is directed at preparing residents for their on-call responsibilities that begin in the spring (typically March). In addition to the rotation schedule, the first year resident gains experience initially by observing other residents perform during case-oriented noon conferences, and later by participating in and preparing conferences. During some of the rotations, the first-year resident participates in conferences given to the clinical staff and medical students. Prior to beginning call, each resident participates in a series of "training" call nights where they follow the junior night-float resident to learn what call entails and to gain some experience in the on-call environment. In addition, there is a formal pre-call lecture series designed to further hone and review important skills before beginning call. Once call officially starts, the first-year residents cover the in-house junior call in two-week rotations for approximately one year. During this two-week period that they function as a "night float," residents are released from their daytime clinical duties.
Year 2
The second year of residency expands on the fundamentals learned during the first year with reinforcement in the basic clinical areas and new experience in more specialized areas of radiology, including MRI, neuro-interventional radiology, and vascular/interventional radiology. Junior, in-house call continues until the springtime, when the first-year residents take over. Added responsibility is also given in the area of medical student lectures, faculty/staff presentations and resident conferences. An extensive radiological physics course begins during the end of the second year, continuing into the third year until the ABR physics examination.
Year 3
At the beginning of the third year, the resident is promoted to the vascular/interventional call pool. Residents in this senior call pool work a 24-hour shift in-house and are released from clinical duties on the following day. The third-year resident begins to experience some flexibility in their schedule with additional elective rotations. Additionally in the third year, residents are given the opportunity to work with other departments by rotating through obstetrical and peripheral vascular ultrasound. A “float” rotation during the third and fourth years provides coverage throughout the Department for residents who are off-duty following call. During the third year, residents attend the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) radiological-pathologic correlation course in Washington, D.C. This six-week course gives the resident an extensive, directed review in what is thought to be the nation's most thorough pathologic review course. Residents take the ABR physics examination in September of the third year.
Year 4
The fourth-year resident directs most of his or her attention toward preparation for the ABR written and oral board examinations. Diagnostic written boards are taken in September, followed by board review sessions lasting until just before oral boards. The fourth-year resident is released from call responsibilities one month prior to the written board examination and three months prior to the oral board examination. Third-and fourth-year residents have the opportunity to rotate in elective areas for a total of 8 weeks. This may consist of rotations that are not normally offered as part of the curriculum or supervised research rotations. Fourth-year residents receive additional training in cardiac imaging during a one-month cardiovascular imaging rotation and through the Nuclear Medicine Department. At the conclusion of the fourth year, the resident will have met all of the requirements necessary to become board certified in the field of radiology.
A Word About Call
The resident call responsibilities are divided into two call pools, lower level and upper level. The lower-level call resident takes in-house, night-float call in two-week blocks (weeknights) beginning in the spring of the first year and continuing into the spring of the second year. The other members of the lower-level call pool rotate to provide weekend call coverage. The lower level call resident has responsibilities limited to emergency studies generated from inpatients and the emergency room. These studies include conventional radiographs, CT, basic ultrasound, and nuclear medicine. An upper-level call resident is in-house for backup consultation. A lower-level resident call bedroom and meals are provided by the hospital.
The upper-level call resident begins taking call at the beginning of the third year, following completion of the vascular-interventional radiology and MR rotations. The call is taken in-house on a nightly rotating basis among the third- and fourth-year residents. Call responsibilities include all emergent interventional studies, fluoroscopy, inpatient body CT until 11PM, doppler ultrasound, MRI, and backup for the lower level call resident. After morning signout (~8AM), the upper level call resident is relieved from work duties for the remainder of the day. A separate upper-level resident call suite and meals are provided by the hospital.
Residency Benefits 2008 - 2009
| SALARY: | PGY1: $44,720 PGY2: $46,280 PGY3: $47,320 PGY4: $48,360 PGY5: $49,400 PGY6: $50,440 |
| VACATION: | 1st year: 2 wks; 2nd year: 3 wks; 3rd year: 4 wks; 4th year: 4 wks |
| MEETINGS: | Residents are given additional leave days (excused from clinical services) when attending educational meetings. However, the meeting must be approved by the residency director. Any meeting or conference at which the resident is presenting is paid for by the Department and does not count toward meeting or vacation days. Designated residents will also be given days off to represent the department at the annual AUR and RSNA meetings. All residents attend the NC ACR meeting at departmental expense. The allocation for meeting days is as follows: PGY-2: 0 days; PGY-3: 2-3 days; PGY-4: 5 days; PGY-5: 5 days. |
| SICK DAYS: | 5 sick days per year |
| ANCILLARY SERVICES: | Copying privileges are provided by the Department. Photography services for educational ventures are also provided by the department. |
| PARKING: | Parking is provided by UNCH at a bi-weekly cost, which is subtracted from the resident’s paycheck. It is an optional benefit. |
| MATERNITY AND PATERNITY LEAVE: | The UNC Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Policy and Procedure for Maternity & Paternity Leave Policy works in conjunction with the UNC Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Policy for Family and Medical Leave. This policy applies to all duly-appointed Housestaff, including specialty and subspecialty residents. Read all GME policies here. |
| ADDITIONAL BENEFITS: | Additional benefits include access to the State Employee’s Credit Union (SECU) and free admission to UNC sports ventures (except basketball, football and NCAA playoffs), malpractice insurance coverage, disability insurance, hospital uniforms, name tags, film badges and beepers. As mentioned earlier, free meals are provided for the on-call residents. Read all GME benefits here. |
| FOREIGN GRADUATES: | Effective January 1, 2004, UNC Hospitals will accept residents who have been issued a J1 visa and who hold a current ECFMG Certificate. H1B visas are not sponsored at UNC Hospitals after December 31, 2003. Residents currently in a residency training program with a H1B visa will be allowed to continue training until the current program has been completed. For further information, you may contact the UNCH GME Office at 919-966-1072. |
READ ALL UNC HOSPITALS RESIDENCY TRAINING POLICIES