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Radiology Residency Day One – How To Start On The Right Foot

residency day one

Last week, I wrote about what to do on the first day on the job as a radiology attending. For those of you about to begin radiology residency, I thought it would be unfair to leave you in the dust. So, today, we will talk about what to do on day one of the radiology residency. For this discussion, we will disregard all the formal introduction courses from the hospital. Mostly, that is a passive activity. Instead, I need you to know what you must do on your first day in the department. So, let’s start!

Get To Work Early

On that first day, I recommend arriving early. Get to know the parking, the bathrooms, and the building. You never know how long things will take until you arrive. And as a resident, impressions become exceedingly important. The last thing you want to do is to arrive late on that first fateful radiology residency day one!

Introductions And Thank You

OK. This one does not differ much from your attending’s first day. Your new colleagues and faculty want to make sure they made the right choice when they selected you. So, do this right. Make sure to thank all the folks who helped to get you into the program. This gratitude goes a long way to building solid relationships for the next four years!

Don’t Stand Out Too Much

When you begin your first rotation, be careful about what you say. You certainly don’t want your attendings tagging you as the class troublemaker. That can lead to undue negative attention later on. So, if you think you may say something that may upset your new employers, I would hold back until they get to know you later!

Ask About Special Programs (If Interested)

Some radiology programs have Early Specialization In Interventional Radiology (ESIR) slots. If you do not inform your program directors early on that you maintain interest in the program, the program may fill up, and the ESIR program may exclude you. So, ask to sign up, if interested, on that residency day one.

Ask About Expectations For The Rotation

Different from starting as an attending, most of you have no clue what you should begin to do on residency day one. On day one of our nuclear medicine program, the technologist showed the residents how myocardial perfusion scans work. But, in the following days, you would sit with an attending to learn the basics. You certainly would not want to miss either of those opportunities. On the other hand, if you start on fluoroscopy, perhaps you need to watch a few esophagrams on the first day. And then, a few days later, the attending may expect you to attempt one on your own. Without these clear expectations, perhaps not in the manual, you will start your rotation at a disadvantage. It is hard to meet expectations you don’t have!

Learn The PACS

Like a new attending, you must learn how to look at cases at your institution. Therefore, it behooves you to play around with the PACS system a bit. Also, make sure to ask for tips from your colleagues and attendings. Many times, if you don’t ask at the beginning, you will only learn much later after you have wasted many hours. Remember: these tips can save significant amounts of time and headaches!

Start Learning How To Dictate

Again and again, you will hear that learning to dictate has a steep learning curve. Therefore, there is no time like the present to learn. Begin with a few simple cases. But start now if you can. As a resident, this activity is one of the most active ways to learn radiology. It reinforces the buttonology of the PACS and the learning of the basics of radiology. In addition, it can help the attending out during the daytime. So, why not start on day one?

Let Your Attending Know The Plans

On that first day, you will often need to attend several activities that are integral to starting but maybe off-rotation. As a courtesy, let your attending for the day know when and what you need to do. This act of doing this establishes a rapport between you and your faculty!

Listen Carefully To The Program Director (Or Associate Program Director) Welcome

Most programs have an early morning or noon conference from the program director or associate program director. This conference is crucial! Most of the time, the program directors will give you their expectations and requirements. Usually, they will not repeat the tips and advice you will get from this session. So, take notes, and don’t miss a beat!

Borrow, Rent, Or Buy Books

By the end of the first day, you should know what you will need to complete your first rotation successfully. Most of the time, you will discover what to purchase, rent, or borrow books from your colleagues in digital or print form. So, make sure to get these necessary resources on day one!

Radiology Residency Day One- Final Thoughts

As with any first day of a new job, the first day of residency can become a nerve-racking experience. But don’t let it be. Instead, try to absorb all the unique experiences that you encounter. So, make sure to take in the new situation, the people, and your place of work. And most importantly, don’t be too hard on yourself. The staff and your colleagues have low expectations for the residents on your first fateful day. Later on, you will have many more days ahead of you to stress about giving that next tumor board or taking the core exam. For today, you can relax and enjoy!

 

 

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About To Start Radiology Residency-What Should I Do To Prepare?

prepare

Here are some scenarios: You’re about to finish medical school, and you’ve matched in radiology.  Or, you are in the middle of your internship year, and you have begun to ponder your next year. If you find yourself in either of these situations, you most likely receive mixed messages on whether or not to prepare for your first year. Some of your “mentors” have probably relayed to you how they readied (if they did anything) for their first year of radiology.

When you hear some of these stories, many of those folks have some hidden motivations. Perhaps, they want to appear like they know it all. Or maybe, they want to make it seem like their decision was the right one. (Even though it may not have been) So, please listen to me. Having seen many incoming waves of medical students and residents coming through the department, I will give you the real lowdown. Here’s what you need to know when you start.

Should You Read Anything Radiology Related Before Starting Radiology Residency?

The short answer is yes. But, of course, I will go into a little bit more detail than that!

So, what do you need to know before beginning? For everyone, if nothing else, I would recommend that you at least relearn basic anatomy. Why is that? Since it is difficult to know what you need to learn in radiology when you have not entered into the field yet and radiology is so “anatomy intensive,” you are better off starting by reinforcing the general anatomy that you learned in medical school. For general anatomy, an anatomy book like Netter that you used during medical school will help you to recall the basics.

However, instead of learning anatomy the same way as your medical school course, I would take more of a cross-sectional anatomy approach. To do so, make sure to find a decent cross-sectional anatomy book to supplement Netter. Not only can you use it to learn cross-sectional anatomy, but this book would also be an invaluable reference source during residency and beyond. Even now, as an “old-timer,” I often use the Atlas of Human Cross-Sectional Anatomy: With CT and MR Images whenever I need a reference. A book such as this almost “pays for itself.”

Why is it so important to have a cross-sectional anatomy book to study? Well, that is how most of us radiologists interpret images. You need to know the anatomy to catch the pathology. So, when you begin, you will have the tools to learn the basics of radiology rapidly (since we are an anatomy intensive specialty!). If you prepare your cross-sectional anatomy before arrival, you will have a certain headstart over your colleagues.

How To Go About Additional Radiology Reading Before Starting Radiology

Fourth Year Medical Students

Since fourth-year medical students typically have a bit more time on their hands, what material would I recommend if you want to learn more than just cross-sectional anatomy? First, you can review the essential medical student texts like Learning Radiology. These sorts of books tend to contain the most basic information like how to read chest films, and so on. Also, they will review the essentials of the primary radiological modalities that you need to know.  However, these texts will not go into enough detail to make you stand out.

But, if you are even more motivated, consider looking at the pictures and captions in a book like Brant and Helms. Then, you can review the subtext to reinforce the images. But beware! It is a long series. And, believe or not, even though it is long, it does not cover enough of the information you need to know to prepare. Most importantly, however, do not get discouraged if you cannot complete it. Any bit that you accomplish before starting residency helps.

Interns

OK. For interns, the first step is to make it through the year. You are probably going to be exhausted and lucky to pick up anything additional to read. So, I would probably stick with reviewing some basic cross-sectional anatomy at this point. In general, lack of time will prevent you from reading through a Brant and Helms type of book. But, if you feel you must go for it, by all means, try to read a little bit. Just don’t push it!

Final Advice On How To Prepare For The Beginning of Radiology Residency

Finally, my last bit of wisdom for the pre-radiology resident is that what you are doing now is very different from your radiology career! So, don’t wrap yourself up in the miseries of your clinical year. Remember… Your life will be very different from your medical colleagues. So, soldier forth, read a little bit if you can, and before you know it, the year will be over. Follow my advice, and you’ll grasp what you need to prepare to start your radiology residency!

 

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