Following a meeting last week, the American Board of Radiology (ABR) trustees have announced several discussion points relating to changes in radiology practice, as well as the ways in which residency training might be changed to reflect the evolution in the field.
In their June 5 statement, the diagnostic and physics trustees of the American Board of Radiology and the members of the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Radiology discussed a number of potential changes, including:
Affirmation of the value of the clinical year. "The experience gained from a PGY I year in surgery, internal medicine, or pediatrics is considered very valuable and medical students should be encouraged to do their clinical year in one of those disciplines. There are opportunities to improve the transitional-year program, and the RRC will work to effect those improvements," the board members stated.
Radiology residents want to tailor their training to the areas in which they expect to practice. The statement said the board members discussed "reducing the required core program and enhancing the opportunity for additional focused training during the four years of diagnostic radiology residency," adding that any program changes would likely be accompanied by changes in the certification exams.
The board said it plans to regularly present issues affecting radiology practice and potential changes in residency training programs at the annual meeting of the Association of University Radiologists, among other venues.
Notably absent from the statement was any mention of a controversial proposal to delay oral exams for two years after residents have completed their fourth year of training.
In April radiology department chairs voted nearly unanimous support for recommending that the ABR reschedule its annual oral exam for residents to a date two years after residents have completed their fourth year of training. The vote took place among members of the Society of Chairmen in Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD), meeting at the Association of University Radiologists meeting. At the time, further discussion was scheduled for the June 1 meeting.
Academic radiologists have long complained that the fourth year of residency programs is disrupted by the students' focus on their impending oral exams. Critics of the proposed two-year delay say it is flawed in several ways, notably by its imposition of unnecessary delays in certification for new radiologists, and by the possibility that valuable work time could be spent studying for the boards.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writers
June 6, 2007
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Major changes in the radiology residency program requirements are coming, December 5, 2006
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