Message from Chief Residents

As the chief residents for the 2023-2024 academic year, we appreciate your interest in our program and are excited to share with you reasons why we believe that the Wake Forest Radiology Residency Program is one of the best programs in the country.

The major factor that distinguishes us is our emphasis on excellent clinical training. Clinical excellence is crucial as we must prepare our first year residents to begin supervised call after just six months of training and fully independent call at the start of the second year. Daily commitment to resident education and thoughtful structuring of our training pathway, which is unique to our program relative to others, ensures our first year residents are ready to perform and succeed at this call responsibility.

First year rotations in the first six months are focused on preparing for Tier 1 call, in which residents interpret plain film and neuroradiology CT studies. Focusing on this subset of modalities allows residents and faculty to concentrate on creating a solid foundational knowledge base in the first year. Numerous practice cases with sample preliminary dictations are provided by Casestacks.com, a website created by two previous Wake residents to help their co-residents prepare for call. Additionally, we build confidence in responding to contrast reaction events in our state-of-the-art simulation lab, which is supported with funds from the Meschan Society, an organization of alumni whose generous donations continuously improve resident education.

While it seems like a daunting task to achieve this proficiency in such a short period of time, you will be able to successfully read complex studies on call after six months of training in our program. Our track record proves it.

Your area of expertise will then expand as you progress through the additional tiers of call. By the time you reach fourth year, you will be comfortable independently interpreting all forms of diagnostic radiology. You will be familiar with the expansive range of pathology seen at a tertiary care medical center with a level 1 trauma center, nationally recognized cancer center, and dedicated pediatric hospital. This focus on clinical competence and independence is what makes our residents so sought after when applying for fellowship and obtaining both private practice as well as academic positions after training.

We are extremely proud of our training at Wake Forest, which helps foster our camaraderie amongst residents as well as between residents and faculty. This culture does not come by accident, but is borne out of our efforts to recruit hard-working and collegial people.

Winston-Salem is a fantastic and affordable place to live, and it provides a wide range of fun activities to do outside of work. Former tobacco warehouses and factories throughout the city have been revitalized into breweries, restaurants, lofts, and centers for performing and visual arts. A short drive outside the city brings you to wineries and

state parks. Many residents come to Wake not knowing much about Winston-Salem and then decide to remain in the area after residency due to the quality of life they find here.

To sum it up, we thank you for your interest in our program and we welcome you to be part of the Wake Family. If you want to learn more about our experience, we hope you will reach out to either of us.

Swetha and Paul

ChiefRad@wakehealth.edu