Redesign of the American Board of Radiology Diagnostic Radiology Certifying Examination.

On April 13, 2023, the American Board of Radiology (ABR) announced plans to replace the current computer-based diagnostic radiology (DR) certifying examination with a new oral examination to be administered remotely, beginning in 2028. This article describes the planned changes and the process that led to those changes. In keeping with its commitment to continuous improvement, the ABR gathered input regarding the DR initial certification process.

Accelerated Fellowships Applicable Across all Subspecialty Areas of Diagnostic Radiology as a Catalyst for Academic Recruitment.

Rationale And Objectives: To build a sustainable faculty development program based on potential acceleration of all subspecialty fellowships types into the PGY 5 year.

Materials And Methods: Single center experience in programmatic change to enhance faculty recruitment. Diagnostic Radiology (DR) residents apply to subspecialty fellowships per SCARD Fellowship Embargo Guidelines.

Short-, Mid-, and Long-term Strategies to Manage the Shortage of Iohexol.

The recent iohexol shortage has precipitated disruptions in a pharmaceutical supply chain critical to radiologic imaging and has impacted global availability of iodinated contrast media (ICM). The shortage has created a national crisis in radiology departments, curtailing their ability to provide health care to patients who need contrast-enhanced examinations. Radiology departments are familiar with crisis management after more than 2 years of clinical and operational disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stakeholder Perspectives on Radiation Use and Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Adult Modified Barium Swallow Studies.

The Modified Barium Swallow Study (MBSS) is a videofluoroscopic examination of the anatomy and physiology involved in swallowing. Like other fluoroscopic examinations, the MBSS uses ionizing radiation with related radiation risks. Thus, the procedures and protocols related to MBSSs must balance the benefit of the diagnostic information gained with the risk of radiation exposure.

Childbearing in radiology training and early career: Challenges, opportunities, and finding the best time for you.

For many women, radiology residency occurs during the childbearing years and they often question when is the best time to have children. Anxiety regarding fertility and pregnancy-related complications contribute to early career burnout in women physicians and many have fertility regrets. Supporting radiologists in training and early in their career as they navigate pregnancy and childbearing is critical to achieving a diverse workforce and leadership.

Assessing the Impact of Structured Reports for Fluoroscopic Double-Contrast Barium Esophagrams.

Fluoroscopic barium swallow examinations are a commonly performed radiologic study in the evaluation of dysphagia. These studies remain essential in the diagnostic work-up despite the increasing utilization of endoscopy, but current residents are often less experienced with fluoroscopy. Structured reporting has been demonstrated to improve comprehensiveness of reports in multiple settings, but has not been evaluated for barium swallow examinations.

Navigating parental leave as a leader in radiology: Commentary on challenges and strategies.

Navigating parental leave can be challenging in all fields of medicine, but it can be especially challenging for leaders balancing clinical, research, and administrative duties. As women take on more leadership roles, we have the opportunity to better define the current challenges and identify potential strategies for navigating successful parental leave while balancing the demands of leadership. This manuscript provides a commentary on the challenges and strategies for navigating parental leave in leadership positions in radiology, an important topic for shaping how parental leave is both viewed and valued in the future.

Physician Burnout in Radiology: Perspectives From the Field.

Physician burnout is increasingly recognized as a public health crisis given the impact of burnout on physicians, their families, patients, communities, and population health. The COVID-19 pandemic has superimposed a new set of challenges for physicians to navigate, including unique challenges presented to radiologists. Radiologists from a diversity of backgrounds, practice settings, and career stages were asked for their perspectives on burnout.

Enabling Your Radiology Business to Thrive Strategic Lessons Learned During the Initial and Subsequent Surges of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

The Covid-19 pandemic surges of 2020 resulted in major operational, personal, and financial impacts on US radiology practices. In response, a series of strategic and intentional operational changes were implemented, varying by practice size, structure and model. In reviewing the many business lessons that we learned during the pandemic, it became clear that for a business to be successful, a host of additional supportive factors are necessary.

Representation of women among leadership and honorees within the Society of Abdominal Radiology, past and present.

Purpose: To evaluate gender diversity over time within the leadership and honorees of the Society of Abdominal Radiology with comparison to other radiologic societies.

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study of the gender distribution of presidents and gold meal awardees within the Society of Abdominal Radiology (SAR) compared to three national radiology organizations: the American College of Radiology (ACR), the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS), and the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Data were collected from the inception of each society through 2020.

Preparing and Promoting Women for Leadership Positions in Radiology and the Imaging Industry.

A dearth of women leaders in the field of radiology and affiliated industries persists despite a recognition of the importance, value, and impact that would derive from its rectification. A targeted educational collaboration, described herein, was established between academia and industry to address this deficit and to facilitate the placement of highly qualified women into leadership positions. The actionable platform offered has the potential to narrow the gap for underrepresented groups in professional leadership positions.

The Early Influence and Effects of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic on Resident Education and Adaptations.

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has had a major impact on the education of trainees in the radiology environment. The precipitous drop in patient volumes and sequestering of faculty and trainees to maintain social distancing affects experiential learning. The shift of nearly all teaching settings to a virtual environment has been challenging but may also allow more interaction during teaching sessions than traditional readout sessions or didactic lectures.

Best Practices in Modified Barium Swallow Studies.

Purpose The modified barium swallow study (MBSS) is a widely used videofluoroscopic evaluation of the functional anatomy and physiology of swallowing that permits visualization of bolus flow throughout the upper aerodigestive tract in real time. The information gained from the examination is critical for identifying and distinguishing the type and severity of swallowing impairment, determining the safety of oral intake, testing the effect of evidence-based frontline interventions, and formulating oral intake recommendations and treatment planning. The goal of this review article is to provide the state of the science and best practices related to MBSS.

Rapid Deployment of Home PACS Workstations to Enable Social Distancing in the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Era.

Social distancing is considered an effective mitigation strategy for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and remote interpretation of radiologic studies is one approach to social distancing within the radiology department. We describe the rapid deployment of home workstations to achieve social distancing in the radiology department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Transitioning from on-site interpretation to remote interpretation requires a careful balancing of hospital and departmental finances, engineering choices, and educational and philosophical workflow issues.

Fortifying Our Teams to Best Serve Our Patients: A Report of the 2019 Summer Intersociety Meeting.

Continuing the thematic focus on fostering wellness and professional fulfillment in our workplace, the 2019 Radiology Intersociety Committee Conference focused on understanding and leading multigenerational workforces and developing high-functioning teams. To lead a multigenerational workforce and to understand and embrace traditional versus emerging cultures in our workplace, effective leaders should foster diversity of their teams. Sustaining such teams requires an understanding of different styles and preferences for bidirectional communication and clarity of information sharing and learning; active efforts may be needed to focus on practical approaches to succession planning, breaking down traditional hierarchies, clarifying role delineation, and managing authority gradients.

A Road Map to Foster Wellness and Engagement in Our Workplace-A Report of the 2018 Summer Intersociety Meeting.

The 2018 radiology Intersociety Committee reviewed the current state of stress and burnout in our workplaces and identified approaches for fostering engagement, wellness, and job satisfaction. In addition to emphasizing the importance of personal wellness (the fourth aim of health care), the major focus of the meeting was to identify strategies and themes to mitigate the frequency, manifestations, and impact of stress. Strategies include reducing the stigma of burnout, minimizing isolation through community building and fostering connectivity, utilizing data and benchmarking to guide effectiveness of improvement efforts, resourcing and training "wellness" committees, acknowledging value contributions of team members, and improving efficiency in the workplace.