Radiology Clerkship

Radiology Training for Medical Students

We are committed to developing the next generation of radiology specialists. The Radiology Clerkship at Lahey Clinic offers a rigorous training program designed to equip early-career radiologists with the skills and expertise they need to deliver high-quality care.

Course Description

The clerkship will focus on clinical aspects of diagnostic radiology, with the student gaining exposure to general plain film reading, fluoroscopy, CT scanning, MRI, ultrasound (including vascular), neuroradiology, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine and mammography.

Goals & Objectives

As part of their coursework, each student will:

1. Acquire a basic understanding of how various images are obtained, as well as how basic procedures are performed.
2. Learn the basics of radiologic interpretation.
3. Develop a logical, orderly and efficient approach to clinical problem solving via radiologic imaging.
4. Become able to correlate radiologic images with gross anatomy and pathology.
5. Gain an understanding of indications, contraindications and complications of radiologic exams and procedures.
6. Gain an understanding of what is involved in patient preparation for, and experience during, radiologic exams and procedures.
7. Obtain a basic understanding of radiation safety and the physics of radiology.
8. Acquire a sense of what radiologic exams and procedures cost.
9. Gain exposure to the different subspecialty areas of diagnostic radiology.

Method of Instruction

In order to fulfill the requirements of the program, each student will:

1. Attend film conferences given by a staff radiologist as an opportunity to interpret films.
2. Attend departmental conferences (didactic and film presentation) and certain interdepartmental conferences.
3. Be assigned to work stations supervised by residents and staff. Areas of assignment include: plain film reading, fluoroscopy, intravenous pyelogram, CT-Scan, MRI, ultrasound (including vascular), neuroradiology, interventional radiology, mammography and nuclear medicine.
4. Be assigned elective time to focus on areas of particular interest in radiology.
5. Organize and deliver a 10-to-15-minute case presentation to his/her fellow students, residents and a staff preceptor. Presentations should include history, physical, pertinent lab data, radiologic findings, and a discussion of disease process with the focus being on radiologic evaluation and interpretation. Sources for cases include: work stations, “interesting case books,” on-call and residents. No cases from teaching files are allowed.
6. Be provided with required text: Squire’s Fundamentals of Radiology by Novelline. Read it. Suggested reading and reference lists are also provided. Books are to be returned.
7. Be required to spend one evening on call until 10 pm with a resident.
8. Be given the option to attend the monthly New England Roentgen Ray Society Meeting in Cambridge, MA, which consists of lectures and film panel case discussions.

Student Evaluation

All students will be evaluated throughout the program according to a rigorous set of standards. The student will:

1. Be monitored continuously throughout the clerkship by staff and residents at workstations.
2. Be evaluated based on their performance at film conferences, where they will interpret cases.
3. Be evaluated based on their performance on a very low-key practical examination.
4. Be evaluated based on the quality of their case presentations.
5. Be evaluated based on general evidence of reading and utilization of teaching files.
6. Be evaluated based on attendance.
7. Be evaluated on other factors including curiosity, enthusiasm, general fund of knowledge, professionalism, organization, problem solving and interpersonal skills.
8. Be asked, in return, to evaluate the clerkship.