The Choice to Get Involved
Residents' News
by Jesse Davila, MD
In the movie "The Matrix," there is a symbolic scene where Morpheus offers Neo a choice between 2 pills. The red pill will answer the question "What is the Matrix?" and the blue pill will simply allow one to carry on as before. This scene relates in many ways to the choice each of us has to make when we are considering becoming involved in the ACR. I didn't realize it at the time, but I made this choice 4 years ago when I chose the "red pill," getting involved in the ACR.
During residency our education is focused on learning to recognize disease using multiple modalities of imaging. Only a small number of trainees have the opportunity to look outside their respective institutions and see what is really happening across the country in radiology, both at the trainee level and to the profession as a whole.
Every year during the ACR Annual Meeting and Chapter Leadership Conference, approximately 100 residents and fellows from all over the country gather to discuss issues affecting us today and tomorrow. We recognize the great profession we have chosen by keeping it strong. As residents, we are able to provide a unique perspective on many issues the College votes on. Our primary agenda stems from education, and the question always asked when evaluating new ideas is, "How will this affect radiology training?" The executive committee of the ACR Resident and Fellow section has been very active following issues of concern over the last few years.
Trainees have expressed concern that body MRI is not being taught at a level that allows them to comfortably practice independently. This gap in training is due to either lack of body MRI being performed at an institution or lack of fellowship-trained instructors. Christoph Wald, MD, previous executive committee member, and I have been working with the ACR to develop an online teaching file that will "level the playing field," presenting cases to help a novice reader gain experience. The prototype for the online software has been developed and over the next few months the collection of cases will begin. The body MRI teaching file will be a valuable tool during both training and in practice.
The fellowship match has not been entirely accepted by residents or the programs that offer positions. Issues were brought to the executive committee that warranted investigation. Sanjay Shetty, MD, collected further data through a survey and has some interesting results. The results were shared at the 2005 AMCLC and will be submitted to the JACR for publication.
"Turf battle" has become synonymous with the word radiology. Over the past year we sought to determine whether turf battles had eroded training and, if so, to what extent. The areas of radiology that are of most concern include cardiac imaging, interventional radiology, and ultrasound. Aradhana Venkatesan, MD, is conducting a survey of trainees and will share the preliminary data.
The ACR Web site has undergone major changes over the past year. It is now much easier to navigate and has become a valuable tool for all ACR members. Greg Galdino, MD, has spent numerous hours helping reshape the site. Improvements will continue to the resident section of the site to help members keep abreast of issues that directly concern them. In addition, the site provides information about the executive committee minutes from meetings.
One of the most important jobs for trainees is to keep informed of what other societies view as pertinent issues. Tara Lawrimore, MD, is our liaison to the AMA. She attended the 2004 AMA annual meeting and shared what she learned during the 2005 ACR AMCLC. It is important to remember we do not work in isolation and that being a member of the AMA is also critical to our specialty.
Should I have chosen the "blue pill"? Knowing what I know now, there is no going back. I have met a few of the exceptional people defending our specialty and I cannot walk away from those who are volunteering to protect my profession and my future. I encourage you to have a look and, if you are ready…take the "red pill."