If you’re dedicated to helping the underserved and being an invaluable resource for your local community, get to know more about our Radiology Residency Program here at Valleywise Health, part of our collaboration with the Creighton University Arizona Health Education Alliance.

Our department of radiology is fully dedicated to resident growth and education. In line with our mission “to provide exceptional care without exception to every patient, every time”, our goal is to turn out excellent, compassionate radiologists who will not only succeed on a professional level but also continue on as future educators. The second decade of the training program promises to take radiology training in Arizona to the next level, with the merging of the Valleywise Health DR residency with that of a sister program at St. Joseph’s Hospital, under the Creighton College of Medicine Alliance

Overview

Residents rotate at Valleywise Health Medical Center and at Dignity Health which includes St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center and the Barrow Neurological Institute for the majority of their training, including some rotations at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in Phoenix.

Medical Student Radiology Electives

The radiology 4th-year student rotations at Valleywise Health (formerly Maricopa Medical Center), are 4 weeks in duration and they are offered throughout the academic year excluding December and June start dates. Residents and faculty will be closely teaching and supervising the student during the rotation.

General Rotation Expectations

  • Your average day will be Monday – Friday (M – F), with a start at 7:30 am and end with a daily readout session with staff, residents and faculty between 3-4pm. For Interventional you also work M – F and start at 7:30.am when the patients arrive for procedures and leave after the last scheduled procedure for the day is completed. There is no overnight and weekend call coverage for medical students.
  • Students must attend our medical student didactic sessions. These are usually scheduled twice a week with a faculty member at a reading station or conference room for a one-hour students only review of a specific modality such as Body, IR, Neuro, MSK, Ultrasound. Pediatrics, etc.
  • We ask students to also attend the resident conferences which are one-hour sessions held daily at 7:30 am and Noon in the first floor Medical Imaging Conference Room M -F. These will include interdisciplinary conferences such as Neuro Rad Path, GI Rad Path, Mammography Rad Path, Grand Rounds, Limb Salvage and Tumor Boards. For Interventional you may attend any of these lectures that interest you, but they are not required since you will be involved with procedures predominately.
  • Each student will present an interesting radiology-related topic/case of your choice at the end of your rotation (15-20 minutes in length). This PowerPoint presentation is usually presented at the am or resident noon conference during the last week of your rotation. A copy of the presentation must be provided to the program once presented.
  • For Diagnostic and Neuroradiology, you will be predominately on the first floor of the main hospital rotating in the three reading rooms where residents and faculty are assigned and work together. You may help with procedures throughout the day as assigned in your modality. For Interventional you will be in the Angio suite on the first floor of the main hospital seeing patients and assisting with procedures.
  • Students should wear professional personal scrubs or business casual and may change into the green hospital surgery scrubs by accessing the Scrub-X machines for procedures. There is a resident call room on the first floor for Radiology where you can change with a privacy lock. In the Angio Suite there are lockers and a changing area and break room for you to use daily for your rotation.
  • Our faculty members and residents operate in a close and collegial setting. While everyone will receive a solid foundation of basic radiology principles, if there are areas or any specific training you would like to experience, we are happy to customize and tailor the learning experience to the student.
  • Evaluations will be provided by the student’s program and will be completed and returned by the rotation director in a timely fashion for grades. The student will plan with the coordinator on distribution of the evaluation.

Other Amenities for Students:

  •  A medical library with robust digital content is open 24 hours for all medical students to use with computers, textbooks, journals and librarians to assist.
  • Students rotating in radiology are given access to use the secure radiology resident room with computer stations and lockers on the first floor.
  • Radiology textbooks can be loaned to any interested students for use during their rotation. Access to the internal electronic resources of the Radiology department and residency program is available to students when on site.

Recommended References

Applying for a Radiology Elective

If you are interested in applying to Radiology you need to apply through Clinician Nexus. Applications must be completed and approved by Radiology 90 days in advance.

Contact the program coordinator for date availability, especially after July, before you apply so she can help guide you through the process. Most rotations are assigned in the Spring and by October are typically filled for the entire academic year, but the program coordinator can confirm availability.

Rotations are 4 weeks in duration. Rotations available in July – November are reserved for Radiology applicant audition rotations. Rotations offered from January – April are offered to students entering other specialties who wish to learn more about imaging in general, specific procedures they may encounter and how to order and coordinate with the imaging team. We do not offer rotations in December and June so that we can ensure the optimum experience for the students with department and residency staffing and commitments.

A brief letter of interest is requested for each student so we can help build the rotation to their specific interest and experience. These help us tailor the student rotation appropriately.

All students including osteopaths must provide a copy of a USMLE STEP 1 passed on the first attempt and be in good standing with their school for consideration of their application. Any subsequent COMLEX or USMLE scores should also be attached if already completed by the time of application.

We allow up to three days of excused absences per rotation. If you know in advance that you will require more than three days away from the rotation such as during interviews, please contact the program in advance. We have little opportunity for students to make up additional missed time so need to plan accordingly in order to have the student complete the course successfully.

If a rotation is cancelled, we ask that the program coordinator be notified as soon as possible. We have limited rotation spots and want to maximize educational opportunities for all our students.

Radiology Electives

Diagnostic Radiology

Faculty Course Director: Dr. Mary J. Connell
Maximum Student Capacity for each rotation: 3

Goal

Students will be introduced to diagnostic imaging techniques and procedures and to clinical decision making when utilizing radiology.

Objectives

1. Learn and describe basic normal anatomic features and variants; radiological anatomy.
2. Learn and describe indications and contraindications for imaging exams.
3. Learn and describe the interaction of radiation with biologic systems and learn/demonstrate radiation safety.

Format

Your time will be split between services, spending a few days at a time on each service which will include: Body Imaging, Chest, Ultrasound, Neuroradiology, and Musculoskeletal Imaging. Time may also be spent in Interventional Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Fluoroscopy, Mammography and Pediatrics depending on availability and the student’s interests.

Interventional Radiology

Faculty Course Director: Dr. Ankit Harish Shah
Maximum Student Capacity for each rotation: 2

Goal

Establish a foundation of understanding of how diagnostic imaging is used to guide minimally invasive procedures inpatient care.

Objectives

1. Describe the indications and contraindications for interventional procedures. 2. Describe the differences in CT, fluoroscopy, and US in guiding interventional procedures.
3. Demonstrate how to perform informed consent with patients and their families. 4. Demonstrate knowledge of pre-and post-operative management of patients undergoing image-guided interventional procedures.

Format

While on rotation students will participate in the management of patients referred for minimally invasive treatments of a variety of conditions, including peripheral vascular disease, uterine fibroids, deep vein thrombosis, venous access, and cancer. Students will follow patients longitudinally while participating in the initial consultation for referred inpatients and outpatients; scrubbing in and observing the technical aspects of image.

Neuroradiology

Faculty Course Director: Dr. Poya Hedayati
Maximum Student Capacity for each rotation: 1

Goal

To learn basic principles behind Image acquisition and interpretation of x-ray, CT scan and MRI in neuroimaging.

Objectives

1. Learn and describe the indications and contraindications for diagnostic imaging procedures in neurology and neurosurgery patients.
2. Learn and describe imaging appearances of the brain and spine in patients with traumatic injuries, infections, malignancy, congenital anomalies, inflammatory conditions, and hydrocephalus.
3. Learn and describe the basis behind interventional procedures of the brain and spine.

Format

Medical students will follow and learn from current radiology residents and faculty. The rotation will take place in the newly remodeled MRI suites and the Radiology department on the first floor. Students will assist in procedures and attend daily readout sessions with staff and residents.

 

Locations and Affiliations