What should we be doing?

Purpose: To discuss what contents should be included in a Physics Class for the Diagnostic Radiology Resident as part of Continuing Education Symposium “Teaching of Physics to Radiology Residents” Method and Materials: The presentation will concentrate on what is needed in teaching physics to meet the needs of today's radiology residents. Emphasis will be given to the need for teaching clinical physics. The physics material should be presented with only the necessary equations and mathematics. Diagnostic residents are visual people. As such the physics taught should explain what they are viewing. It should be based on lots of images and examples. An emphasis should be made on general rules that they can use in their daily practice: i.e. inverse square law, 15% rule, and the number 4 rule. The physics material should address primarily what a radiologist is looking at and what they can modify to change the image appearance. It should address the concept of risk vs. benefit. The AAPM MPEP committee has created two syllabi for the resident's physics curriculum. The curricula will be discussed. Questions will be asked such as: Are they complete? What should we do with them etc? Who should use them? How do they relate to the ABR physics written exam? Results: The results of this talk should give the audience an idea of what should be included in a physics class for the diagnostic radiology residents. Conclusion: The breadth of physics technology in diagnostic radiology has grown tremendously in recent years. It is the challenge of the instructor to explain this technology to the resident in a meaningful matter. Shortened physics time and distracted students have increased the challenges of the physics instructor. © 2005, American Association of Physicists in Medicine. All rights reserved.