Canadian radiology programs

[street_med]

Hi everyone

I am a Med II interested in radiology. Although I know its a little too early to plan electives, I was wondering what are some of the stronger radiology programs across the country? Also, does anyone know what schools don't give out CARMS interviews unless you've done an elective with them?

Thanks!

street med

[Kirsteen]

Hi everyone

I am a Med II interested in radiology. Although I know its a little too early to plan electives, I was wondering what are some of the stronger radiology programs across the country? Also, does anyone know what schools don't give out CARMS interviews unless you've done an elective with them?

Thanks!

street med
Hi there,

The schools which supposedly favour candidates who have taken electives there or who they know, otherwise are: UBC, UofA, UofO, McGill and Dal.

As for the stronger programs across the country, it depends on the specific strength you're looking for. Some programs have quite different feels, so this is one factor to consider and some have also been on probation for different reasons, and you might want to factor in those into your decision.

Cheers,
Kirsteen

[street_med]

As for the stronger programs across the country, it depends on the specific strength you're looking for. Some programs have quite different feels, so this is one factor to consider and some have also been on probation for different reasons, and you might want to factor in those into your decision.

Cheers,
Kirsteen

Thanks for your reply, Kirsteen! Just wondering what schools have been on probation? Also, do you know what schools have stronger vascular/interventional programs?

[Kirsteen]

Hi there,

Schools which have recently been on probation: Saskatchewan, Ottawa, Toronto and McGill, I believe.

As for Vascular/Interventional programs: Vancouver and Toronto come to mind.

Cheers,
Kirsteen

[TNT]

This is probably a complicated question, but how big of a deal is it which institutions were on probabation? If someone was to do residency there, would they be less competitive for fellowship training? Would major hospitals hesitate to hire them as an attending?

[Kirsteen]

This is probably a complicated question, but how big of a deal is it which institutions were on probabation? If someone was to do residency there, would they be less competitive for fellowship training? Would major hospitals hesitate to hire them as an attending?
Hi there,

From what I've heard, probation history not a personal career-breaker if you match to a school that has been on probation. Most of the time, fellowship programs will care about the package you present as an applicant, not specifically whether or not you're borne from a program that was deemed to have some deficiencies. That is, it's up to you to make the most of a residency program's resources to make you a top candidate for fellowship and staff applications, and not as much the residency program's responsibility to make you a top candidate.

Cheers,
Kirsteen

[street_med]

Hi Kirsteen,

What rotations do you think a rads hopeful like myself should get under my belt before going on electives? I am in the midst of picking rotations for clerkship and I am having a hard time deciding if surgery rotations would be better prep for rad electives or medicine?

[Kirsteen]

What rotations do you think a rads hopeful like myself should get under my belt before going on electives? I am in the midst of picking rotations for clerkship and I am having a hard time deciding if surgery rotations would be better prep for rad electives or medicine?
Hi there,

Surgery rotations are often helpful since surgeons often rely quite heavily on imaging pre- and post-op. This is not only true for Ortho, but also, for Gen Surg (and the other surgical specialties) as well. In terms of Ortho, generally you'll be dealing primarily with plain film imaging, but with Gen Surg patients you'll be seeing a wider variety of images: plain film and CT, primarily.

Cheers,
Kirsteen

[Kirsteen]

Hi there,

Inre: Canadian Rads programs that have recently been on probation, unfortunately, word on the street is that the majority of them (bar one) continue to deserve that status. In fact, although Rads is generally a very competitive program to enter and rarely are any spots left over in the match, this year, one of those programs that had been on probation purportedly had two spots left open.

Cheers,
Kirsteen

[Lactic Folly]

About the program that had a few spots unfilled this year, one contributing factor is that they interviewed a relatively small number of applicants (lack of time/human resources? suggested to me by a resident), and many of the candidates they interviewed had multiple interviews across the country and no ties to that school/region.

To the OP: Probably brushing up on anatomy (in case you are asked any questions) would be your best preparation for a radiology elective. Clinical knowledge is always good, but since radiology electives tend to be observational, experience in the clinical setting isn't as essential as it would be if you were doing a medical or surgical elective where you are seeing patients and writing notes.

When I was choosing clerkship electives, I was given the advice to just do them wherever I thought I might like to go for residency. Now that I've gotten through CaRMS, I'm better able to elaborate on why that is a sound idea. If the program does end up appealing to you, you will be able to give more convincing reasons at your interview for why you want to go there, now that you've seen the program, met the people, and explored the locale (as opposed to just reading the website and emailing a resident). And if you find out the program is actually somewhere you'd rather not go, you have just saved yourself from a potentially poor ranking decision.. a 1-2 hour interview + tour just doesn't offer the same amount of information as a 2 week elective.

That being said, schools do vary as to the amount of emphasis placed on doing electives with their program. Western's CaRMS program info states that an elective in London is strongly recommended but not mandatory, while Queen's website states that candidates will be considered for interviews regardless of whether they have completed electives in Kingston.

For schools without such written policies, it is basically anecdotal, so talking to residents helps.. trends exist, but also exceptions (people have gotten interviews at McGill and Dal without electives, and an elective at UBC likewise does not guarantee an interview there). Of course, probability of receiving an interview at a school may or may not translate to the probability of being ranked high/matching there. CaRMS used to publish number of applicants, number of interviews, and average % matched from out of town - it was interesting info, but no longer around. And those stats must also be interpreted taking into consideration that candidates may show regional bias in ranking close to home, so a low out-of-town % may not solely be due to a school favouring its own.

Ehh, it's a lot to think about. From my perspective, the advice still stands: do electives where you want to go :) Only other thing I've heard is to do electives in other regions of Canada to show that you are willing to relocate, but hopefully schools do realize the logistic/financial barriers to multiple away electives.

[street_med]

Thanks for all the great advice! I have heard from some people that it not a bad idea to set up a mini research project during the radiology electives? what do you guys think? Is 2 weeks enough time for a research elective or would 3 weeks be better? What kind of research projects is one looking at?

so many questions....

[Lactic Folly]

During a normal radiology elective, where students rotate through the different areas of the department, you can try to see if there are any interesting cases that you could write up as a case report. This can be continued long distance if it is an away elective. I haven't set up a radiology research elective - not sure what type of project would be suitable there (perhaps a chart review?). I do know people have done summer research projects, or worked on research during the year at their home school.

[sarakj]

Hello Kirsteen,
i have just sent you a PM .. would you please take a look.. thank you very much
Sara KJ,

Meds 2010 ( U of O)

[sarakj]

Hi Kirsteen,
hope thing are going ok with you.. i have sent you a PM couple of days ago.. thanks
sara kj
Meds 2010

[0nsp]

Hi everyone

I am a Med II interested in radiology. Although I know its a little too early to plan electives, I was wondering what are some of the stronger radiology programs across the country? Also, does anyone know what schools don't give out CARMS interviews unless you've done an elective with them?

Thanks!

street med
As I'm doing electives, I'm hearing from more and more residents that the 3 strongest programs are Toronto, Dalhousie and UBC, with Calgary coming in 4th. That being said, it is generally agreed that all the Canadian schools are pretty good, and you will pass your board exams at the end of the residency. The bottom line is, where can you see yourself spending 5 years of your life, and what do you want to do after residency? If you are looking for a fellowship outside of Canada, Toronto is pretty well known and has a great rep.

[0nsp]

Thanks for your reply, Kirsteen! Just wondering what schools have been on probation? Also, do you know what schools have stronger vascular/interventional programs?
The stronger vascular/interventional programs would be UBC and Toronto, mainly for the volume that they get. However, they are also well funded, with good equipment and great staff. Remember though, that interventional is a fellowship; you need to get into radiology someplace first, and once you're done, you can always move around for your fellowship.