Curriculum and Culture of Learning

Curriculum and Board Preparation

RadExam

RadExam was created through the collaboration between ACR and APDR to fulfill the ACGME for formative assessment (based on the ABR guidelines). Our program uses RadExam to help prepare our residents for their boards. At the end of most rotations, our residents receive an assessment specific to their current rotation to test their knowledge. 

Diagnostic In-Training Exam (DXIT)

The DXIT is a summative assessment delivered by American College of Radiology and is used by Program Directors to evaluate their programs as bench-marked against other residency programs. It also offers residents an opportunity to evaluate their knowledge and to identify areas of deficiency relative to peers at the same level of training.

Conferences

Our curriculum includes a variety of conferences, led by faculty, fellows and residents in order to allow our trainees the best possible educational experiences.

Academic Half Day

Our residents rate this as one of the strengths of our program. This time is 100% protected and can be used for research, manuscript writing, and other professional activities.

Residents are allotted one Professional Half Day per rotation when on the following UCH rotations: Body, Breast, Chest, MSK, Neuro, Nuclear Medicine.

Research and Quality Improvement

Radiology residents are also required to complete one Quality Improvement (QI)/Patient Safety project during residency. Residents at our institution participate in the GME Quality and Safety Bonus Program, which provides residents the opportunity to earn up to $1000 lump sum for their efforts to improve quality and safety of patient care. This program encourages residents to submit an adverse event or unsafe condition into the hospital’s reporting system. The University of Colorado Hospital’s Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Safety Small Grants Program awards grants to resident and fellow-led quality improvement projects.

Beginning to Advanced Radiology (BAR) Lab

The Beginning to Advanced Radiology (BAR) Lab was completed in August 2015 and partially funded through a grant received from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The BAR Lab design facilitates blended learning including flipped classroom and team-based learning methodologies. The physical space is equipped with a Philips virtual simulation teaching PACS identical to the clinical application currently used throughout the University of Colorado Health System and utilizes iPads to deliver curriculum materials. Medical students and residents undergo small group learning in this innovative space.

With the department’s support, our residents have increasing opportunities to be excused from clinical service to lead interactive sessions in the BAR Lab, both to medical students and undergraduates. These sessions have become an integrated piece of the medical student curriculum, and are now a part of clinical rotations combining clinical practice with imaging correlation. BAR Lab sessions have been very popular with both residents and medical students. Most notably, our residents have enjoyed the opportunity to gain teaching experience. Additionally, many of the sessions are multidisciplinary, allowing for interaction with other subspecialties. Ultimately, the BAR Lab has created a venue that facilitates resident learning and medical student exposure to our department and the great field of Radiology.