Half-days are scheduled throughout the year on Wednesday afternoons, from 1 – 5 pm. The format typically consists of a formal didactic presentation or case review by a faculty speaker in the first half, followed by assigned case presentations by residents in the second half. Several times throughout the year Evaluative Sciences/CanMEDS curriculum topics are presented in additional to the regular half-day curriculum.

The second component of the radiology half-day session includes formal resident teaching case submission and presentation. These cases are prepared in a structured format, including some formal teaching points. Case presentations are scheduled by the Chief Residents in a rotating fashion throughout the entire academic year, from Sept. to June. The objectives of this exercise are to enhance resident teaching and learning experiences during the half-days, as well as to create a structured database for future reference.

A Visiting Professor Program is organized 6 – 8 times a year, during which a nationally or internationally recognized radiologist is invited to speak to our faculty and residents. The format includes 3 formal lectures, as well as a dedicated half-day with the residents. Invited guest faculty are selected to cover the spectrum of imaging subspecialties, including abdominal, neuro, chest, breast, interventional and musculoskeletal radiology.

There are a number of different rounds organized for residents at each hospital site. These include both multidisciplinary rounds as well as traditional “hot seat” type rounds format.

This table outlines a typical monthly master schedule/rounds calendar for activities across the city:2022 Radiology Rounds Calendar

The following list is a narrative description of multidisciplinary rounds across the city, which our residents attend:

Juravinski Hospital (Formerly the Henderson Hospital)

Resident Rounds: These are scheduled daily from Monday to Thursday, and consist of a traditional “hot seat” type format. Residents on rotation at the Henderson site attend these rounds, along with any elective residents or medical students. Each radiology resident is given an “unknown” case to formally present and work their way through.

Radiology/Pathology Breast Rounds: These occur weekly, and are lead by one of the breast imaging radiologists. The resident on rotation for breast imaging at the Henderson also takes an active role. At this round, all breast biopsies performed over the previous week are reviewed, with radiology/pathology correlation.

MSK Rounds: MSK rounds are scheduled on Tuesday mornings each week. The rounds are a clinical working round for review of active soft tissue, bone tumour and tumour-like conditions referred to the Henderson Hospital and JCC. These rounds are attended by an Orthopedic Surgical Oncologist, orthopedic residents and fellows, Musculoskeletal radiologists, fellow and a Musculoskeletal Pathologist. All residents on rotation at the Henderson site attend these rounds.

Body Imaging Rounds: Organized by the body or cross-sectional Clinical Fellow, these weekly rounds include discussion and education around interesting cases, with a focus on body imaging. The rounds are attended by staff Body Imagers, fellows and residents and offer an additional opportunity for resident education related to interesting gastrointestinal and genitourinary subspecialties cases. Pizza and refreshments are provided by the radiologists!

Hamilton General Hospital

Resident Rounds: These traditional “hot seat” type rounds are scheduled at noon on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, for residents on rotation at the General. Any elective residents or medical students also attend. Each radiology resident is given an “unknown” case to formally present and work their way through. Cases are selected and show by the specific staff radiologist assigned to the rounds.

Neurosciences Rounds: These occur weekly and discuss advanced topics in neurosciences. They are attended by Radiology, Neurosurgery, and Neurology. The radiology residents who are on their neuroradiology rotation attend, along with any other interested residents. Each radiology resident is expected to present once at these rounds during their PGY3 year.

Multidisciplinary and clinical rounds: Additional rounds of interest to residents include cardiology, cardiac surgery, spine, vascular and trauma rounds. Residents can attend and contribute to these rounds, along with fellow residents and faculty from different specialties.

McMaster University Medical Centre

Resident Rounds: Traditional “hot seat” type rounds are scheduled daily at 8:00 am and consist of a traditional “hot seat” type format. These are attended by all residents scheduled at the MUMC site, along with elective residents or medical students. These are assigned on a rotating basis, including radiology and obstetrical faculty and clinical radiology fellows.

Other Rounds: Other rounds involving radiology are scheduled at McMaster. Residents with an interest in pediatric and in particular neuro imaging are welcome to attend tumour rounds, pediatric neurology and neuro oncology rounds. Residents on ultrasound can attend the neonatal rounds, as these include ultrasound cases.

Body Imaging Rounds: Organized by the body or cross-sectional Clinical Fellow, these weekly rounds include discussion and education around interesting cases, with a focus on body imaging. The rounds are attended by staff Body Imagers, fellows and residents and offer an additional opportunity for resident education related to interesting gastrointestinal and genitourinary subspecialties cases.

St. Joseph’s Healthcare

General Radiology Rounds: These are scheduled Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for radiology residents, residents on elective and medical students in the department at St. Joseph’s. These are traditional “hot-seat” type format, with residents challenge to formally present and work their way through cases.

Multidisciplinary and Radiology/Pathology Rounds: There are a lot of other rounds that happen at the St. Joe’s site, of which residents are able and encouraged to attend. These include hepatobiliary rounds, rheumatology, multi-disciplinary chest rounds and radiology/urology/pathology rounds. These are often working rounds, including review of active cases, imaging findings and clinical decision-making and treatment options. Residents can gain from attending these, in order to learn the issues from their clinical colleagues perspective, along with important information for medical and surgical treatment decision-making.

Ultrasound Rounds: These are organized by one of the body imaging faculty with a keen interest in ultrasound. The resident on their ultrasound rotation at the St. Joe’s site presents once at these rounds, as part of their rotation requirement.

Approximately three times per year, a resident organized journal club is conducted at academic half-day. These 1 hour sessions are led by an assigned resident, whose responsibilities include selecting an article on an appropriate topic and circulating it electronically amongst their peers, with an accompanying set of references and questions to be covered. The topics and articles selected are pertinent to current practice, with emphasis on certain clinical and radiological dilemmas that are encountered in everyday life (and while on call!). The discussions at journal club are often centered around the validity of the study in the context of evidence-based medicine, the conclusions of the study, and its relevance to the improvement of our practice. This resident journal club is designed to designed to improve the resident’s skills in critical appraisal and the practice of evidence-based radiology.

This half-day and program content includes education on research methodology and critical appraisal skills. Additional topics highlighted during these sessions include CanMEDS roles in radiology, including the importance of communication and collaboration skills with referring clinicians, as well as the ethics of radiological clinical practice. Example topics include:

• Research methods
• Epidemiology & Statistics
• Communication skills and the radiology report
• How to deal with errors
• CanMEDS roles in Radiology
• Patient Consent
• Patient Privacy
• Conflict Resolution