Radiology

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine offers a radiology elective rotation at Geisinger Medical Center, generally four weeks in duration, that provides medical students a supervised educational experience. This structured, informative educational experience gives you a clear and concise overview of the dynamic specialty of radiology, including general radiology, its various subspecialties and the breadth of radiological modalities and imaging studies. 

Radiology teaching faculty will direct your education during this elective. The elective may be tailored if you have a particular interest in a certain area or areas. You’ll rotate as an observer through the following areas of the Radiology Department and gain firsthand experience with an array of subspecialty modalities and imaging studies, such as:

• Emergency radiology
• GI/GU radiology
• Pediatric radiology
• Ultrasound
• Neuroradiology
• Musculoskeletal radiology
• Body radiology
• Nuclear medicine
• PET imaging
• Mammography
• Chest radiology

You’ll be expected to attend noon conferences given to the radiology residents, and you’re invited to attend any additional interdepartmental conferences and other educational sessions (e.g., journal clubs) during the rotation. We’ll provide you with an introductory syllabus for the rotation, and you can access all campus and departmental print and digital resources to support your clinical learning experience. At the end of the rotation, you’ll give a brief case-based presentation on a patient you encountered.

Goals

The educational goals of the rotation are for you to:

• Learn about the specialty of radiology as a possible career choice.
• Learn the role for imaging in the diagnosis, management and treatment of patients.

The length of the rotation is generally two to four weeks, divided into one- to two-week blocks in each subspecialty.

Objectives

• Gain exposure to clinical radiology and its various subspecialties.
• Develop an understanding of the different types of imaging studies available and learn the benefits and limitations of different imaging modalities.
• Develop respect for radiation and the importance of radiation protection and safety.
• Learn about the ALARA principle.
• Understand the value of providing an appropriate patient history when requesting imaging study.
• Learn about the contraindications of certain imaging studies and for administration of contrast material.
• Learn about the importance of good communication between the clinician and the radiologist.