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Session: Arthur Boyer Award for Innovation in Medical Physics Education [Return to Session]

Ten-Year Initiatives in Teaching Physics to Diagnostic Radiology Residents

J Zhang*, P Hardy, F Raslau, J Lee, S Jones, M Oates, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

Presentations

MO-FG-201-6 (Monday, 7/11/2022) 1:45 PM - 3:45 PM [Eastern Time (GMT-4)]

Room 201

Purpose: Physics training of resident physicians faces many challenges. This is primarily due to their educational background and demanding clinical duties. There is a need to explore methods/ approaches that help residents appreciate and enjoy their physics education. We share our ten-year initiatives in teaching physics to radiology residents.

Methods: Three initiatives were implemented to make physics education more engaging to residents: hands-on experiences/observation, artifact of the month, and physics questions of the week. The week-long hands-on workshop was developed in 2013 for first-year residents to give them practical experience of physics concepts. During workshop, residents performed radiation measurements, studied the relationship between patient dose and practice, and investigated influence of acquisition parameters on image quality. The artifact of the month was initiated in 2017 to incorporate physics concepts into the clinical routine. Residents were encouraged to submit artifacts (image, cause, and mitigation strategy) they encountered during clinical rotations to the artifact committee. The committee curated and summarized all artifacts and corresponding explanations and mitigation strategies, and reviewed during a quarterly didactic conference. The physics questions of the week started from August 2021 to help maintain and refresh physics concepts. Every Monday two physics questions were sent to residents; answers/explanations were provided immediately after completion.

Results: Positive feedback was received from all initiatives: The hands-on course provided first-year resident basic understanding of image formation, improving their initial clinical experience as radiologists. Residents report that the artifact of the month has enhanced their understanding of physics concepts and helped them to connect those concepts to clinical practice. 64 questions have been provided and 27 of 28 residents have completed at least one physics question of the week.

Conclusion: Our initiatives help overcome barriers and challenges encountered with resident physician physics education, and provide tools and tips for developing successful educational programs.

Keywords

Not Applicable / None Entered.

Taxonomy

Education: Application

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