Medical Student Radiology Education: Summary and Recommendations From a National Survey of Medical School and Radiology Department Leadership

Abstract

The ACR Task Force on Medical Student Education in Radiology, in partnership with the Alliance of Medical Student Educators in Radiology, investigated the current status of how and to what extent medical imaging was being taught in medical schools. The task force executed a 3-part survey of medical school deans, radiology department chairs, and intern physicians. The results provided an updated understanding of the status of radiology education in medical schools in the United States. This summary includes recommendations about how individual radiology departments and ACR members can assist in advancing the specialty of diagnostic radiology through medical student education.

Medical Student Usage of the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria

“…Given that more attention has been placed on proper utilization and reducing risks from imaging, there has been a renewed focus among medical educators on improving the radiology education trainees receive in medical school (1). There is a growing trend toward abandoning curricula that focus almost entirely on imaging interpretation skills in favor of those that emphasize imaging appropriateness and safety (1,3,28,29,36,37).…”

“…There is a growing trend toward abandoning curricula that focus almost entirely on imaging interpretation skills in favor of those that emphasize imaging appropriateness and safety (1,3,28,29,36,37). This concept was underscored by a recent national survey of Radiology Department Chairs and Medical School Deans, who called for the development and incorporation of resources that emphasize imaging safety, appropriateness, and utilization into medical school curricula, including the ACR-AC (1).…”

“…This concept was underscored by a recent national survey of Radiology Department Chairs and Medical School Deans, who called for the development and incorporation of resources that emphasize imaging safety, appropriateness, and utilization into medical school curricula, including the ACR-AC (1). Another argument for including this type of content within medical training is the idea that instilling good imaging practices early in training is more effective than correcting already formed habits (1,28). Ideally, if medical students can be taught to use appropriate imaging practices (such as use of the ACR-AC), they will be more likely to use these practices throughout their careers (7).…”

“…Over the past 4 decades, advances in diagnostic imaging have contributed greatly to patient care, improving our ability to detect disease, guide procedures, and deliver treatments (1). Most medical specialties now regularly use medical imaging, which has led to a substantial increase in the number of diagnostic imaging examinations performed in recent years (2,3).…”

“…Despite the availability of versions of the ACR-AC since 1993, awareness and utilization of this resource by nonradiologists remains low (1,26,34). For instance, a survey by Bautista et al (27) found that 1.7% of residents and 3.0% of attending referring physicians reported using the ACR-AC as one of their top three resources for selecting the best imaging technique.…”