2W: Introduction to Diagnostic Radiology

School of Medicine

The course will provide students with a broad exposure to the various sub-specialties of radiology and will provide focused training on basic chest x-ray interpretation. The students will spend each day in a different sub-specialty reading room within the department. The students will sit with the faculty, fellows, and residents on the service and observe them interpreting the various studies that are read or performing the various procedures that are done. For each reading room, there will be a series of 5 or so "check-offs" which consists of bits of information that student must learn in that reading room (for example, "What is the appropriate follow-up of an incidentally-discovered pulmonary nodule?"). At the conclusion of the elective, students will know the various imaging modalities and the role they play in the diagnosis of disease and management of patients; the numerous procedures performed by radiologists and their role in patient care; and how radiologists participate as active members of multidisciplinary health care teams in caring for patients. Students will develop skills and confidence in the interpretation of plain chest x-rays, particularly for common and major abnormalities.