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Preparing First-Year Radiology Residents and Assessing Their Readiness for On-Call Responsibilities: Results Over 5 Years

¹ All authors: Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Ave., Boston, MA 02215.

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to evaluate the preparedness of postgraduate year (PGY)-2 residents for independent call responsibilities and the impact of the radiology residency training program on call preparedness using an objective DICOM-based simulation module over a 5-year period.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. A month-long emergency radiology lecture series, conducted over 5 consecutive years, was designed and given to radiology residents at all levels. A DICOM-based, interactive, computer-based testing module with actual emergency department cases was developed and administered at the end of the lecture series. Comparison was made between first-year and upper-level resident test scores using a Student's t test, generalized estimating equations, and individual fixed effects to determine PGY-2 residents' before-call preparedness and the effectiveness of the simulation module to assess call preparedness. Resident scoring on the simulation module was also plotted as a function of progression through their residency program to evaluate the impact of the training program on call preparedness.

RESULTS. Over 5 years, 45 PGY-2, 34 PGY-3, 32 PGY-4, and 35 PGY-5 residents attended the lecture series and completed the computer-based testing module. PGY-2 residents scored an average of 71% ± 15% (SD), PGY-3 residents scored 79% ± 11%, PGY-4 residents scored 84% ± 10%, and PGY-5 residents scored 86% ± 11% of the total points possible. A statistically significant (p < 0.05) difference in scoring on the simulation module was identified between the PGY-2 residents and each upper-level class over the 5-year period and during 4 of 5 examination years analyzed separately. A trend toward higher average scores for each cohort of residents as they progressed through residency training was identified.

CONCLUSION. Over a 5-year period, first-year radiology residents scored significantly lower than upper-level colleagues on an emergency radiology simulation module, suggesting a significant improvement in the ability of residents to interpret typical on-call imaging studies after the PGY-2 year.

Keywords: call preparedness • emergency radiology • radiology resident training • simulation training

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