Education

The Education and Research Institute (ERI) is an integral component Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program. Supporting the Radiology Department and its numerous programs, the Institute has pioneered a number of educational innovations; the application of new electronic media to radiology education, the development of educational programs for non-traditional students, and by innovative development and implementation of a trainee and faculty evaluation system.

Under the leadership of Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD, Vice Chairman of Radiology and Director of Pediatric Radiology, the Education Division is rapidly establishing itself as a center of excellence in educational research, innovation, and practice.

ERI boasts a full-time staff of professional educators. Their mission is to develop new and innovative instructional strategies and to assess and monitor the quality of the department's programs. Manager of Educational Operations, Ronald Fraley, BSN, MBA, MFS; and Manager of Educational Programs, Jennifer Steele, MS, play an integral role in the Department's development and delivery of programs. Mark Frank, MD, Director of Educational Technology, leads the division in an educational content alliance with AuntMinnie.com.

Through innovative collaboration with the IU Departments of Education, Informatics, and New Media on the Indianapolis campus, the Education and Research Institute capitalizes on the resources of Indiana University, including the participation of faculty and graduate students in its ongoing research and innovation.

The ERI focuses on the development and delivery of curriculum and assessment tools for ACGME accreditation requirements. These packages developed by the Institute have been custom designed for each radiology subspecialty, and includes both the residency and fellowship programs ensuring that all trainees achieve the necessary competencies. The packages also focus on achievement of learning objectives, evidence of achievement through assessment, and tools to demonstrate continuous improvement in the educational process.

COMMITTMENT TO EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION

The Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSOM) is the nation's second largest medical school, enrolling a class of 280 first-year students annually. In addition, it boasts a very large post-graduate training program, with a house staff of 1,000 interns, residents, and fellows. The IUSOM enjoys a reputation as one of the nation's foremeost public medical school referral centers.

The Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program, currently one of the nation's largest, receives nearly 600 applications each year for its 15 positions. The program provides exceptional training in clinical practice, radiology education, and clinical basic imaging research. The department also boasts a large fellowship training program, with 18 positions in all major radiological subspecialties.

We take seriously our responsibility to provide the optimum environment to accomplish resident goals. We provide a world-class clinical experience at five hospitals, capitalizing on the strengths of the Clarian Health Care system, the Indiana University School of Medicine, and the Department of Radiology. Additionally, and equally important, we provide an intense didactic component to the residency training program.

Throughout the year, there is at least one one-hour conference taking place for the residents each day. These conferences change focus to help residents prepare for the ABR examinations as well as to advance your knowledge base in an orderly fashion.

There are also many section conferences and inter-specialty conferences taking place throughout the week. These are specific to the hospital where residents are assigned for the month, offering different conferences depending on the hospital assignment, as well as the service. Most of our hospitals conduct "Interesting Case Conferences". These are primarily for the residents' benefit to be sure that good case materials are seen by as many of the residents and faculty as possible. These conferences may also contain cases where issues relating to preventable morbidity or mortality may need to be discussed. Many conferences take place in conjunction with other specialties where the radiologist (typically the staff or fellow) will present imaging findings to the group and discuss differential diagnoses and imaging strategies. Examples would include Tumor Board Conferences, Breast Cancer Conferences, Pulmonary Conferences, Pathology Conferences, and Neurosurgery & Neurology Conferences.

In addition to these structured conferences, teaching occurs in the reading rooms at the "PACS" workstations on a daily basis. As some departments have seen staff and resident one-on-one teaching erode in the face of increasing clinical demands, you can still find radiologists here who will make time in the day to review a stack of their personal teaching files with a resident. For some reason, these close-up, personal interactions seem to be the most cherished by residents and long-remembered and appreciated after they have graduated and started their own practices.

One of the most worthwhile educational benefits that a radiology department can offer their residents is the opportunity to attend the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation Course in Washington, D.C. (AFIP.) This four-week course is attended by many third-year residents and serves as an excellent preparation for the ABR examination.

In addition to the above, the department maintains a large collection of journals and texts. A library has been collected appropriate for residents to study and numerous copies are available. We also have a mature intranet for distribution of departmental news and information, e-mail, and digital teaching databases of images and medical information. All are available from your resident homes. Our dial-in intranet also serves as your resident internet provider at no monthly cost.

Our department also provides a modest book allowance to assist in purchasing any texts that may not already be accessible through our libraries.

We are a large program striving to provide an outstanding residency experience, specifically a "no-holds barred" effort to provide the best education. We doubt you'll find any residency program more committed to non-clinical learning than the Department of Radiology at Indiana University.