Cedars-Sinai is a very large tertiary and quaternary care institution. The S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center (radiology and nuclear medicine) is subspecialty-based so that your training will be by experts in these fields, not generalists. We are proud of our one-on-one teaching, which we can offer because we maintain a staff-to-resident ratio of more than 2 to 1. Our equipment is state of the art and we are committed to remaining at the leading edge. The procedure volume well exceeds 460,000 per year, so there is no dearth of patient teaching and research material. Research opportunities abound for interested residents, and the staff is anxious to assist and participate in projects with the residents.
In addition, the hospital has a remarkable imaging facility, which consolidates all imaging services for inpatients and outpatients. This center is a PACS-based, filmless center with only the finest equipment. There are six 1.5 Tesla MR scanners and seven CT scanners. The nuclear medicine department has 13 cameras, which includes two PET scanners, one PET/CT, with another PET/CT installation in process. A 3T MRI scanner will be installed soon. This beautiful facility houses a world class imaging department with few rivals.
Our principle objectives are to provide a balanced training program, blending conventional as well as advanced imaging modalities and emphasizing appropriate and safe utilization of radiology consultation, diagnostic and therapeutic services for patient care. These objectives are achieved by offering our residents the best combination of a large volume of clinical material, one on one teaching, "hands on" experience, as well as professional and emotional support. It is our intention that our residents will be skilled in all radiological modalities when they complete their residency program and that they pass their written and oral board examinations. By exposing them to an active clinical practice as well as an academic environment where teaching and research are emphasized, we prepare the residents to ultimately practice radiology in diverse professional environments, including academic, university, private semi-academic or private outpatient. Our residents have a unique educational setting, because we have an integrated program comprising a large tertiary referral center with advanced surgical and medical programs attractive to regional and national patients. Additionally, our program benefits from the very strong community hospital practice as well as the extremely busy emergency services providing level 1 trauma care. This comprehensive and multifaceted health care delivery ensures appropriate and varied exposure to all aspects of diagnostic and interventional radiology. The program encourages residents to make independent decisions so as to develop the confidence required of a consultative specialist. However, all of their studies and interpretations are reviewed with staff physicians to ensure that decisions are being made based on sound medical judgment. Our goal is to graduate safety-conscious, self-reliant, independent, knowledgeable and comprehensively trained radiologists, who will serve the community's needs in any type of health care setting.
We have developed goals and objectives for each of our subspecialty rotations based on six core competencies. This curriculum is based upon recommendations of the RRC for diagnostic radiology and the standards established by the ACGME. The program director and residency committee (composed of staff members and resident representatives) review the curriculum on a yearly basis. Marcel Maya, MD is Director of the Diagnostic Radiology program. Dr. Maya devotes 1 1/2 administrative days per week to the residency program including interviews with the residents, evaluations of residents and teaching staff, directing the program support staff and attendance at numerous educational programs at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. In addition, Dr. Maya spends 30 hours per week for clinical educational and training time with the residents in the field of Neuroradiology. The Chair of the Department, Barry D. Pressman, M.D, supports Dr. Maya and plays an important role in bringing departmental resources and support for the implementation of the curriculum and the teaching services, which are under his direction. Both these individuals are academically oriented physicians and committed to the educational program. The faculty and the rotation directors share responsibility for the operation of the program. The Education Committee consists of rotation directors, the chief resident, and chair and meets at least four times a year (usually once a month) to assist with program management. Cedars-Sinai is an institution which strongly supports the concept and practice of a radiology teaching program.
There are 31 full time and 6 part-time physician members of our radiology staff, comprised of a diverse group with varied education and cultural backgrounds, as well as a support staff of physicists and clerical personnel. There are directors of each subspecialty area within our imaging department, and it is their responsibility to ensure that the residents are well trained in their subspecialties. The training program is based on a combination of one on one teaching (as the residents rotate through the individual subspecialty areas) and daily conferences. The format of these conferences consists of case presentations and didactic sessions given biweekly from 12 - 5 at UCLA. A series of 15 introductory lectures are also given for the first year residents to prepare them for call. Physics, radiation biology, and radiation protection are taught in a lecture series. Board review courses are given on a yearly basis for the senior residents. This special course is designed to simulate the oral board examination to prepare the senior residents. All subspecialties are covered in the three months preceding the oral boards (March through May).
A policy of graduated resident responsibility is in effect at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Residents are given a reading list and clearly defined goals and objectives for each year of training and for specific clinical rotations. The knowledge and level of skill expected of the resident at each year of training is clearly described and discussed with the resident by the program director, and reemphasized by the rotation director and the clinical staff on each rotation. Radiology staff is present within the institution 24 hours per day, 7 days a week and are available for immediate consultation. There is at least five staff physicians on call at all times for all subspecialties. Residents are required to interpret cases, give consultations, and perform procedures with increasing levels of responsibility as they progress in their training. Radiology residents are encouraged during their initial rotations to dictate reviewed cases. All cases are reviewed with staff physicians before dictation. Residents begin taking call at the institution after six months of training and are responsible for triaging cases and determining that appropriate examinations are being performed, reading and interpreting the results. The on-call physician who is on duty supervises the on-call resident. The duty hours and night/weekend call for residents are within the standards set forth in the ACGME program requirements. Residents who become fatigued are relieved of duty by the staff physicians.
Since residents take four weeks each year of night float they are relieved of their duties for one week each from four of their rotations. They are prohibited from being absent from nuclear medicine rotations. During weekend or night call, they are taught and evaluated by the radiology staff physician on duty in the hospital.
