Diagnostic Radiology is a required clerkship at Temple University School of Medicine which can be taken in a 4-week block in either the third or fourth years of medical school.

Course Director

Stephen Ling, MD
Associate Professor, Clinical Radiology
Assistant Director of Medical Student Education

Goals and Objectives

The goals of the Radiology 727 elective are to provide you with:

• Guidelines to assist you in learning how to review diagnostic imaging examinations;
• An understanding of the role that the various imaging modalities and their specific examinations can/should play in the overall management of the patient;
• Fundamental knowledge of the relative indications and contraindications of diagnostic imaging examinations;
• An appreciation of the role that radiologists can and should play as consulting members of the medical team.

Methods of Instruction

• Students are given didactic lectures by radiology faculty and radiology residents twice per day on various imaging modalities.
• Students participate in image interpretation sessions with a small group of peers twice per week. These sessions are facilitated by faculty members. These small group sessions are held for Chest Imaging, Body Imaging and Neuroimaging.
• Students participate in imaging algorithm workshops to help them gain understanding of use of appropriate imaging studies for management of patients and the cost effectiveness of these studies.
• Students are expected to complete 4 image based quizzes.
• Students are expected to use web-based patient simulated cases, focusing of radiology (Case Oriented Radiology Education).
• Students may access the Temple University School of Medicine Radiology Teaching File which contains examples of the imaging findings we see with specific disease entities as well as examples of normal imaging findings.
• PowerPoint Educaton Module on MRI and Radiation Safety followed by a quiz.

Final Examination

The final exam is a web-based exam with 75 questions taken from a national data bank of questions. The exam includes image-based questions, as well as questions without images regarding appropriate imaging management and other general principles of diagnostic imaging. The final exam is based on material covered in lectures.

Student Evaluation

• Successful passing of MRI and Radiation Safety Quizzes (5%)
• Participation in small group image interpretation sessions and in imaging algorithm workshops (10%)
• A 7 to 10 minute presentation on a diagnostic imaging topic (25%)
• Completion of four radiology quizzes posted on Blackboard (15%)
• Final examination consisting of questions based on information and images covered in lecture material (25%)
• Completion of CORE (Case Oriented Radiology Education) cases
• Professionalism (10%)