Radiology Residency Training Program
Our Vision
To lead in Radiology Residency training through education, research and innovation.
Our Mission
To provide excellent training in the specialty of Radiology through an accredited program with a CanMEDS-based curriculum; to develop expertise in all radiologic subspecialties and modalities with an emphasis on professional development; to obtain experience in research, quality assurance, teaching and multi-disciplinary collaboration; to establish a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
Message from the Program Director, Dr. Mousumi Bhaduri
Welcome to the Western University Radiology Residency Program website. I am pleased that you have shown an interest in the exciting radiology program at Western University.
London has three major teaching hospitals, including an integrated pediatric hospital and oncology center within the Victoria Hospital site. At University Hospital there is a renowned transplant program and Neurosciences program. St. Joseph’s Hospital boasts an internationally known Hand and Upper Limb Clinic. The training program encompasses a catchment area covering all of southwestern Ontario. London and Western University have an active research community that includes specialized imaging research groups at the world-renowned Robarts Research Institute and at the Lawson Health Research Institute. There are approximately 50 Radiologists within London and a separate Nuclear Medicine department with a residency program offering specialized training. The Radiology faculty at Western have fellowship subspecialty training in a wide variety of expertise resulting in excellent teaching by dedicated staff.
We are a medium sized program with approximately 20 residents and are a close, collegial group. The favorable resident-to-fellow ratio at Western University allows residents to have ample opportunities to gain valuable experience at performing image-guided procedures. Our residents participate in activities such as the annual resident retreat, a thriving visiting professor program and an active journal club. The residents also enjoy a relaxing welcome barbecue each summer, competing against the staff radiologists in the annual softball game and getting together for holiday events.
Western Radiology residents have a tradition of success in the Royal College qualifying exams and in obtaining competitive fellowship training positions throughout Canada and the United States. That a number of former residents have returned and accepted faculty positions at Western is a testament to the high level of satisfaction and loyalty of the graduates of our program.
Program Summary
The Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program at Western University is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. It is a mid-size program with about 20 residents (usually 4/year). PGY1 is a basic clinical year. PGY2-5 rotations are all in diagnostic imaging. The core rotations meet Royal College Specialty Training Requirements and provide experience with all the modalities and body systems. Elective time occurs mainly in PGY5.
PGY 1
The PGY 1 year provides a solid background of medical and surgical rotations as well as an introduction to Diagnostic Radiology. Early in PGY 1 each resident has a rotation in Radiology split between the two acute care hospitals (University Hospital and Victoria Hospital) where they spend time learning and reporting CT Abdomen, CT Chest, Neuroradiology and ER plain films. This is also a great opportunity to meet many of the faculty and other residents in Radiology. The last block in PGY 1 focuses on anatomy and the residents return to the Radiology Department to refresh their reporting skills before starting PGY 2.
PGY 2
The goals of the PGY2 year are an introduction to the core areas of radiology as well as preparing the resident to begin call, which usually starts in December. Most rotations are one block long. Residents rotate throughout the city and all residents do the same rotation complement (but at different times throughout the year). There are rotations in general radiology, abdominal imaging, chest imaging, bone/musculoskeletal, ultrasound, CT, neuroradiology and an introduction to mammography.
PGY 3 and 4
The PGY3 + 4 years consist of subspecialty radiology rotations covering all the core areas of Radiology, plus Nuclear Medicine. Each year there is one mammography rotation. All residents have the opportunity to attend the four week American Institute for Radiologic Pathology (AIRP) Radiology/Pathology Correlation Course which is usually taken in the PGY4 year. Time for research is permitted at the discretion of the program.
PGY 5
The focus of the PGY-5 year is review, consolidation and exam preparation. Residents are given greater responsibility and at the completion of their residency they should be functioning at the level of a junior consultant. Core rotations include general radiology (3 blocks) and mammography (1 block). Senior residents have considerable flexibility choosing rotations in their final year.
Technology
Several years ago the Residency Program invested in web conferencing equipment to link all three teaching hospitals in London to provide better continuity for educational rounds. This allows regular teaching to occur twice daily through subspecialty rounds which are broadcast to all of the residents without requiring them to travel across the city. All of our residents therefore receive equal learning opportunities regardless of the site or rotation.
At Western University we have embraced new and exciting digital and online learning resources including programs such as eAnatomy, RadPrimer and StatDx. To facilitate the residents’ use of these resources, each resident receives an iPad at the end of PGY 1 before starting core Radiology rotations. Most rotations also have a structured reading outline including a pre-test and post-test to monitor progress towards meeting all of the learning objectives.
