Radiology Residency Program

The Department of Radiology offers a four-year residency program approved by the American Board of Radiology in Diagnostic Radiology.  The residency program is affiliated with Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons.  Responsibilities are assigned to the residents at an early stage in their training and are rapidly turned over to them depending upon their development and ability; so that, by the end of the first year they are able to manage and examine their own patients in conjunction with staff and other residents.  In this manner, residents are properly prepared for a future practice as a consulting radiologist.  The residents participate as an integral part of all departmental specialty conferences which helps develop an ability to present and discuss radiological aspects in differential diagnostic analyses.

The educational process includes not only orientation toward the radiological sciences, but also extensive education in computer use, data base acquisition, and communications.  The residency conference schedule is extensive with at least 3-4 hours of staff and visiting lecturers per day.  The physics courses and seminars in Radiation, CT, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine, and Magnetic Resonance are an integral part of the curriculum.  Significant portions of the course are presented by the numerous well-known guest lecturers

The residents are expected to publish at least one case report, paper or presentation per year during their four-year time period.  The department is equipped with a computer center that allows intensive training with computers, and the ability to produce presentations, slides and articles suitable for publication.  The teaching files throughout the Department of Radiology are comprehensive and include not only commercially available files, but also extensively developed on-site cases including optical disk, film libraries, and video tape and DVD series.  The department maintains its own library facilities and is tied into the major hospital library system.

The Radiology Department is a very active, well-equipped major service of the Medical Center.  It is staffed by board certified radiologists, radiation oncologists, and physicists.  The department performs over 100,000 diagnostic and therapeutic consultations a year.  The diagnostic procedures include Magnetic Resonance, CT Scanning, Ultrasound including Obstetrics, Nuclear Medicine, Invasive Procedures and General Diagnostic studies.  There is a close working relationship between the Department of Radiology and the Department of Pathology within the Medical Center.  Both anatomical and cytological consultations take place within both departments on a daily basis.  It is the goal of the department to provide high quality and cost efficient personal consultations to the attending staff and house physicians on a timely basis.  The educational goals are directed toward helping residents obtain a sophisticated, well-rounded knowledge base in radiology that can be applied to the comprehensive practice of radiology in their futures.

The Magnetic Resonance Center based within the Department of Radiology at St. Vincent's Medical Center encompasses the latest technology including Fast-Spin Echo, MRA, and other sophisticated examinations available on a 1.5 Tesla Signa MRI System.

The Division of Ultrasound offers training in the interpretation and scanning techniques in all major areas of diagnostic ultrasound including Obstetrics.  Small parts scanning including breast, thyroid and testicular examinations are provided.  The equipment is state-of-the-art including color flow Doppler and extensive vascular imaging.

The Invasive Procedures Division allows the resident hands-on experience with angioplasty, drainage procedures, stenting and numerous biopsy techniques.  Biopsies are performed within the department on a dedicated mammography biopsy system.

The Division of Nuclear Medicine provides diagnostic examinations and treatments with radioactive pharmaceutical agents.  The nuclear cardiology service is an integral part of the Medical Center's cardiac and open-heart programs and plays an important role in the diagnostic prognosis and pre- and post-operative cardiac surgical process.

The Radiation Oncology Division of the Department of Radiology utilizes megavoltage equipment and has an extensive simulator and brachytherapy service.  It is part of the total oncological services at St. Vincent's Medical Center and is active in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer.

The residency program has current RRC accreditation and has been an active, fully certified program for more than 40 years.

More Information

• Typical Schedules for Each Year of Training (PDF)
• Career Paths of Diagnostic Radiology Residents (PDF)
• Call Responsibilities