Mount Auburn Hospital was founded in 1886 as the first hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Over the years, generations of committed individuals have dedicated their careers to achieving the vision of being the best community teaching healthcare system in the Boston area. On a mission to improve the health of the residents of Cambridge and surrounding communities, Mount Auburn Hospital is dedicated to delivering healthcare services in a personable, convenient, and compassionate manner, with respect for the dignity of patients and their families.

- Residency Training in Radiology -

The Department
Staffed by 13 full-time radiologists and 11 residents, Mount Auburn Hospital's Radiology Department performs approximately 130,000 diagnostic examinations yearly. The department is filmless using a state of the art PACS system (Picture Archiving and Communications System) for the display and interpretation of digital images.

The radiographic equipment includes three direct digital rooms and two multiplate digital readers. There are three fluoroscopic rooms--all of which are digital--in which 2,800 fluoroscopic procedures are performed each year. Four ultrasound systems--two with "4D" imaging--are used to perform more than 13,000 ultrasound examinations each year. Two, state of the art, multi-detector General Electric CT scanners (one 64 slice and one 4 slice) enable the department to perform more than 22,000 CT examinations per year. Technologists assist in the creation of 3D reformatted images and other complex post-processing of studies. The department has three interventional radiologists who perform more than 2,200 cases annually utilizing a state of the art all digital angiography suite. Two 1.5 T MRI Scanners are used to perform approximately 12,000 MRI examinations per year.

The Residency
Three residents are chosen each year for a four-year program and appointed as Clinical Fellows at Harvard Medical School. The program recently expanded and as of July 1, 2006 will consist of 12 residents, with 3 residents in each year. The ratio of staff radiologists to residents results in close contact between the staff and residents throughout the training program. After the resident has obtained the necessary firm foundations in the fundamentals of radiology, he or she is encouraged to take increasing responsibility in both routine and specialized examinations and procedures. The majority of our residents pursue subspecialty fellowship training. However, the goal of the Radiology Residency Program to train residents to be fully qualified in diagnostic radiology and special procedures by the time they have completed the four-year program. Graduates have pursued careers in academia and private practice.

Radiology Residency Program
The following description is a broad outline of the Radiology Residency Program. All prospective residents are encouraged to visit Mount Auburn Hospital to see our facilities, meet our staff, and discuss the training program with current residents.

Residents are typically assigned in four week blocks to one of the different modalities. Early in training, residents are expected to read extensively, master anatomy, participate in the protocolling and interpretation of patient examinations, and to participate in discussions concerning diagnostic problems. Residents advance to increased levels of responsibility, and sound judgement as a radiologist is established during overnight call.

Rotations
* CT and MR which includes Neuro-, Head and Neck,Cardiothoracic, GI, GU and Musculoskeletal Radiology
* Special Procedures (Interventional Radiology) which includes Vascular Radiology and Intervention, Thoracic Procedures, Abdominal Procedures, Uterine Fibroid Embolization Program, vertebroplasty
* Fluoroscopy which includes GI, GU and Musculoskeletal Procedures
* Radiography Rotation
* Ultrasound, including Obstetric Ultrasound
* Nuclear Medicine, including Cardiac
* Breast Imaging, including Mammography, MR, and Procedures
* Emergency Radiology (2nd year, 3 months performed at Massachusetts General Hospital)
* Pediatric Radiology (2nd year, 3 months performed at Boston Children's Hospital)
* Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (3rd Year, 6 week course, Washington, D.C.)
* Rotations in cardiac radiology and carotid ultrasound are also included in conjunction with the departments of cardiology and vascular surgery.
* One month of the 4th year is set aside for an elective, allowing the resident to develop in-depth knowledge in a specific are of interest.

Research and Additional Educational Opportunities
The radiology resident is expected to participate in a clinical research project, which can be carried out with members of the department or other members of the hospital staff. This research should result in a report that would be suitable for publication.

For more information about the Residency Program in Radiology

This information is reposted with thanks to Mount Auburn Hospital.