The elective is a four-week rotation on a clinical service, which provides 3rd and 4th year medical students exposure to the field of interventional radiology (IR). Students will rotate through a variety of modalities throughout the elective including angiography, CT, and ultrasound. Students will be expected to see patients both in the initial evaluation for interventional procedures as well as the follow up. Instructional methods will include direct patient care, phantoms to practice ultrasound skills, 1-on-1 teaching with different attendings and a didactic presentation at the end of the rotation.

Students are expected to be punctual, and work in concert with the entire interventional team which includes nurses, technologists, and physician assistants. Each student is expected to evaluate patients prior to procedures as well as after procedures. Students will be assigned didactic reading depending on the type of procedures being performed the day they are rotating. Students will be encouraged to ask questions and at the end of the rotation should understand the indications for basic procedures, complications, and contra-indications.

Emphasis is placed on obtaining complete, organized, and efficient patient interviews, performing accurate physical examinations, recommending patient-specific diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, and performing common procedures while mitigating complication risks, as evidenced by clinical performance, succinct communication in oral presentations, and accurate and timely narrative documentation. The student will be exposed to the indications for and contraindications to basic vascular and interventional procedures and will observe the clinical and technical aspects of implementation. They will gain a basic understanding of clinical evaluation and follow up, imaging methods, including percutaneous image guided procedures.

The elective is comprised of experiences at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and cases are oncologic in nature.

Students’ self-learning through effective use of the medical libraries/learning resources is emphasized. The goal is to refine the skills necessary to continue independent learning and creative problem solving.

Prerequisites: M3 or M4  

Modules:  A-M

Blocks: 1-4

Number of students: 1

Course Director: Dr. Omar Hasan

Course Coordinator: Tammy Zaggario