RadioGraphics Content Curation: A Comprehensive Curriculum for Radiology Trainees.

Abstract

HomeRadioGraphicsVol. 42, No. 2 PreviousNext Education CornerFree AccessRG TEAMRadioGraphics Content Curation: A Comprehensive Curriculum for Radiology TraineesAlexandra N. Murphy , Patricia Balthazar, Aditya Khurana, David H. BallardAlexandra N. Murphy , Patricia Balthazar, Aditya Khurana, David H. BallardAuthor AffiliationsFrom the Department of Radiology, Austin Hospital, 145 Studley Rd, Heidelberg 3084, Australia (A.N.M.); Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga (P.B.); Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn (A.K.); and Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo (D.H.B.). P.B. and D.H.B. have provided disclosures (see end of article).Address correspondence to A.N.M. (e-mail: [email protected]).Alexandra N. Murphy Patricia BalthazarAditya KhuranaDavid H. BallardPublished Online:Feb 11 2022https://doi.org/10.1148/rg.210232MoreSectionsPDF ToolsImage ViewerAdd to favoritesCiteTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked In The current millennial generation of radiology trainees is used to accessing information through a few short clicks after an internet search on a smartphone, laptop, or desktop computer or at the workstation. With near-infinite educational resources accessible electronically 24 hours a day, it can be difficult to know where to focus one’s energy and time (1). Quick accessible information that is relevant to the individual trainee level is key to producing a useful end product that can stand out among the current abundance of clinical resources.To meet this need for a comprehensive, up-to-date, high-quality radiology curriculum, the RadioGraphics Trainee Editorial Advisory Members (RG TEAM) has organized and categorized RadioGraphics articles to allow more specific and high-yield searching. Over 3000 articles from 2005 to 2021 were categorized, tagged, and organized in a searchable tool that can be filtered by resident training year and article theme, subtheme, and keyword search (Fig 1). From this initial organization, 20 articles in each subspecialty were identified as high-yield educational resources, which were then sorted by resident training level into basic- and intermediate-complexity levels.Figure 1. Diagram shows how the searchable curriculum is displayed, divided by theme, subtheme, training level, and keyword.Figure 1.Download as PowerPointOpen in Image Viewer This curriculum creation was an underlying motivation for the RG TEAM’s inception, aiming to further the educational mission of RadioGraphics (2). RadioGraphics is a premier educational resource for many radiology trainees, with other organized collections of trainee-focused RadioGraphics articles already available online, including the ABR Core Exam Blueprints Article Index, On-Call Preparation Article Index, and RadioGraphics Fundamentals. To date for 2021, the ABR Core Exam Blueprints Article Index has had 59 858 site visitors, and the On-Call Preparation Article Index has attracted 12 134 visitors.The RadioGraphics-based curriculum also adds to many RSNA trainee-focused educational content apart from RadioGraphics, ranging from the physics modules, webinars, and research development tools to the study guide indexes (5). The goal is to provide a comprehensive trainee resource, with the overarching goal of becoming a “one-stop shop” for up-to-date and comprehensive radiology education.The creation of this RadioGraphics-based curriculum builds on the RSNA’s strong history of broadening international education. Although the RSNA is a North American institution, it has intentionally fostered radiology education internationally for over 35 years, forming the Committee for Radiology Education in 1986 (3). As of 2019, there were 10 621 North American members-in-training and 7 565 international members-in-training (4). In fact, the majority of RadioGraphics site hits in 2021 came from outside North America (3.3 million of 5.9 million hits), with India (788 000), the United Kingdom (306 000), Australia (190 000), Brazil (104 000), and the Philippines (100 000) at the forefront. RSNA membership and, therefore, RadioGraphics online subscription is free for all radiology residents and fellows during training anywhere in the world, which allows access to those who have limited resources.In 2021, the demand for the above curriculum was identified by RadioGraphics Editor Christine Menias, MD, while she was lecturing in South America. She recognized that several international training programs informally use RadioGraphics content as their curriculum and wanted to design a formal, user-friendly, convenient tool.Given the variability in radiology training worldwide, with lengths ranging from 3 years (eg, Brazil, India) to 5 years (eg, North America, Australia, Greece, Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands), there are inevitable differences in educational structures. Some residencies rotate through modalities, while others rotate through subspecialities. Not only does the duration of rotations differ, the levels of support and teaching differ as well. Some residencies have restricted resources and varying exposure to subspecialty expertise, case complexity, and case volume. Some departments may focus more on satisfying service needs at the expense of the educational experience. For international radiology training programs, the formality of rotations ranges from informal, to semiformal, to formal. The RG TEAM curated content will particularly benefit shorter radiology residency programs and those that lack subspecialty training or formal structure.An advantage of this content curation is that it is tailored to the learning needs of trainees, as they can pick and choose from any particular subspecialty and level depending on their interest and expertise. This format is particularly useful for trainees who enjoy self-directed learning. The number of articles read per week and per rotation can be customized by rotation length and the learner’s capability to read a target number of articles. Additionally, it is a beneficial tool for radiology residency program directors, who can direct trainees to this resource when they are covering a specific rotation.Content Curation MethodologyUsing a spreadsheet of all published RadioGraphics articles published in the last 17 years (from 2005 to 2021), each article was individually assessed and categorized by the 17 members of the RG TEAM, who range from junior radiology residents to fellows. Junior trainees were supervised in their content curation and evaluation by advanced trainees (senior residents and fellows) along with faculty radiologists. Each article was screened for suitability to be categorized into a major theme. Each article was categorized with a theme and subtheme according to a relevant curriculum, where available. For example, Emergency Radiology topics were based on the American Society of Emergency Radiology (ASER) curriculum (6). Each article was designated to an appropriate resident level. Given that the journal targets a broad readership audience (including faculty and trainees), some of the resident year and basic- versus intermediate-level designations may seem somewhat arbitrary. A basic resident year 1 (R1)–level RadioGraphics article may contain advanced-level topics relevant to practicing radiologists.In categorizing articles, the RadioGraphics TEAM identified 20 key articles per subspecialty topic for each resident training year, 10 of which were deemed basic level and 10 of which were deemed intermediate level. The last categorization was based on radiology resident year, including an R1 basic level, an R1 intermediate level, a resident year 2 (R2) basic level, and continuing up to the fellow level. A diagram of the subcategorization is shown in Figure 2. The articles aim to cover a broad range of common topics that will be useful to residents at their particular stage of training. For example, articles for 1st-year residents are focused on anatomy, basic and common pathologic conditions, radiographs, and CT. For 2nd-year residents, articles are focused on common on-call topics such as emergency presentations to the emergency department. For 3rd-year residents, we built in complexity for topic selection, including high-yield topics for the ABR Core Exam. For 4th-year residents, we included more advanced imaging such as PET and MRI, and topics for fellows were identified as niche interests or novel techniques relevant to their subspecialty.Figure 2. Diagram shows RadioGraphics high-yield articles filtered by resident year and article complexity (basic or intermediate level).Figure 2.Download as PowerPointOpen in Image Viewer Although these RadioGraphics-based curriculum article lists were created primarily for trainees, they are a valuable resource for radiologists of any level, whether for review of a particular topic or as a resource to share with junior colleagues. The RG TEAM is a group of radiology trainees from around the world who curated this curriculum on the basis of their diverse experiences of what would be most relevant to trainees. The RG-based curriculum is now available online at https://pubs.rsna.org/page/radiographics/rgteam/top10Home, and the RG TEAM looks forward to your comments and feedback.Disclosures of Conflicts of Interest.— P.B. Editorial board member of RadioGraphics, travel reimbursement from American College of Radiology. D.H.B. Editorial board member of RadioGraphics.All other authors have disclosed no relevant relationships.