· A provisional pilot with ABR oversight

· ABR-reviewed and -approved

· Following are the critical features of the pathway:

1. Program chairs or directors must submit applications for residents who want to enter the pathway. Residents cannot apply on their own.
2. Residents entering the pathway need one year of clinical training in addition to the year currently required. Two years of clinical training is considered essential. Residents may enter the new pathway from medical school or after two or more years of clinical training in other disciplines.
3. The core diagnostic imaging training is 27 months.
4. VIR residency (nonfellowship) training includes nine months as described in table below.
5. The sequence of scheduling the fellowship year and the final year of the core program is reversed.

1. The initial certificate and subspecialty certificate (CAQ in VIR) issued by the ABR following accredited training under DIRECT and following successful completion of the examinations are the same certificates one can earn under the traditional training pathways. However, under DIRECT, one does not qualify to take the diagnostic radiology certifying examination until the PGY6 year is completed. An additional (practice) year is required before the subcertification exam may be taken.


2. Please contact Ronda Henderson at the American Board of Radiology (rhenderson@theabr.org) for further information.

DIRECT Pathway applications must come from program chairs or program directors. They are accepted three times per year:

April 15
August 15
December 15

Whether you have identified a resident candidate or not, if you wish for your department and training programs to be considered for participation in the DIRECT Pathway, please submit the following (see list below) to:

ABR DIRECT Pathway Oversight Committee
The American Board of Radiology
5441 E. Williams Blvd., Ste. 200
Tucson, AZ  85711-4493

To apply for your program's participation in the DIRECT Pathway, please submit each of the following to Ronda Henderson at the ABR office (rhenderson@theabr.org), phone: 520-790-2900, fax: 520-790-3200

1. Letter of application signed by the Chair, VIR training director, and residency training director, clearly stating your intent to enter one or more resident(s) into DIRECT.
2. Copy of ACGME letter to residency training director following most recent RRC site survey, with final accreditation status clearly stated.  (Residency programs on probationary status will not be considered.)
3.  Copy of ACGME letter to VIR training director following most recent RRC site survey, with final accreditation status clearly stated.  (Fellowship programs on probationary status will not be considered.)
4.  Documents detailing program/department responses to ACGME as needed.
5.  Sample curriculum you have planned for a DIRECT Pathway trainee.  Please keep in mind that, although changes may occur in the months and years ahead, for now it is essential to plan for three months of breast imaging training and four** months of nuclear radiology training. Here is one example curriculum (not arranged in temporal order): Months on service: Clinical training-24, IR residency rotations-9, Breast imaging-3, Nucl rad-4**, Cardiothoracic imaging-2, Pediatric Rad-2, Emergency rad-2, Abd imaging (GI/GU)-4, Neurorad-2, MSK-2, Ultrasound-2, Research + elective-2, IR fellowship-12.

             **Reference Dr.Philip O. Alderson letter, Subject: Nuclear Medicine Training, Dated August 11, 2005

For answers to any questions about DIRECT, please contact us at:

   rhenderson@theabr.org

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