A-024 Finding the time and resources in the radiology department

J. del Cura | Thursday, March 7, 16:00 – 17:30 | Room F1

One of the problems of undergraduate teaching of Radiology is the lack of time for teaching, due to competition for resources with other academic disciplines. Available classroom time and hours of practice are often insufficient to teach the increasingly complex modern Radiology. Also, the availability of financial resources to hire staff or access to educational facilities is competitive and limited, especially in a context of economic crisis. A good solution is to shift the paradigm of education, changing theoretical teaching into self-learning by students. This change allows to free class time to effectively teach Radiology. Classes are converted in workshops, doubt-solving sessions and problem-based learning, all of which matches better with a visual discipline like Radiology. Both on-line classes and e-learning can be useful for this purpose. This kind of teaching also makes Radiology a very attractive discipline for Medicine students. Also, Radiology practices can be carried out using custom computer applications. The lack of professors (and time) for practices can be solved with the help of residents, who are willing to participate as they are more prone to understand the learning needs of the students. Finally, the lack of economic resources makes it is necessary to seek alliances: with the industry, professional associations or with professors from other universities, sharing resources. Internet also provides free materials that can be used to teach.

Watch this session on ECR Live: Thursday, March 7, 16:00–17:30, Room F1

Postgraduate radiology training is high on the agenda in Europe, with a great deal of attention in recent years being given to the harmonisation of educational standards across the continent, but there is a growing feeling within the discipline that radiology should not lose sight of the equally important issue of undergraduate education. Exposing undergraduates to radiology not only serves the obvious and vital purpose of inspiring potential radiologists, but also ensures that students who go on to follow careers in other disciplines are well versed in what radiology can offer and how it operates. In broad terms, the net result is a combination of helping to secure the discipline’s future and making life easier for its practitioners.

However, making sure undergraduates are given sufficient contact with radiology is no easy task. The competing clinical, managerial and academic demands on radiologists’ time and skills, which increase with every year, mean that any additional activities run the risk of being excluded. The time and resources needed, not just to teach, but also to carry out the necessary preparation for effective teaching, can often make it impossible to fit in to an already hectic schedule.

Professor Stephen J. Golding (left) from Oxford will chair today’s Professional Challenges Session on undergraduate teaching.

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