Support Your Residents

As a program director or coordinator, you have many responsibilities when supporting your residents throughout their certification journey. To help you, we’ve put together an overview of your key responsibilities and timelines, including guidance on:

• Adding new residents
• Verifying training
• Supporting exam readiness
• Handling special requests

Your Role

As a program director or coordinator, you’re the intermediary between your residents and the ABR. Your responsibilities include adding new residents, verifying training, supporting exam readiness, managing applications, and staying on top of important deadlines.

As your residents move through their training years, here’s what you need to do and when:

Resident Year 1 (R1/PGY-2)

• To do: Add new residents in myABR
• Dates: July 1-31

Resident Year 3 (R3/PGY-4)

• To do:
  • Submit training verifications for residents who are on track to complete 36 months of training.
  • Remind residents to register and prepare for their qualifying exam.
• Dates: January 1-February 15

Resident Year 4 (R4/PGY-5) or Resident Year 5 (R5/PGY-6) for Interventional Radiology

• To do:
  • Submit final training verifications.
  • Remind residents to register and prepare for their certifying exam.
• Dates: July 1-August 15

 

Add New Residents

You must add new residents each year from July 1-31 in myABR. You’ll need to include their:

• Legal name
• Date of birth
• Email address (personal, preferably)
• Residency training start date

Once added, new residents have until October 31 to complete their part of the application. Residents who transfer should not be added as new residents. See the Resident Transfer section for more information.

 

Resident Transfers

If a resident wants to change programs, the initial and new program directors will both need to approve it.

You’ll need to submit a Resident Transfer Form to information@theabr.org.

 

Verify Resident Training

You must submit training verifications for your residents in their third and final years. We’ll send you email reminders before these are due.

Third year

Submit training verifications in myABR by February 15 to confirm your residents’ eligibility to take their qualifying exam. For DR and IR/DR, this will be for the Qualifying (Core) Exam. For radiation oncology, this will be the physics and cancer biology portions of the Qualifying Exam — they’ll take the clinical portion after completing their final residency year.

Your residents can take the exam after 36 months of completed residency training. If they’ve taken a leave of absence or started late, they might be able to take the exam after 32 months – you’ll need to contact the ABR to obtain this waiver. Please review the Residency Leave Policy for more information.

Final year

Submit final training verification forms in myABR from July 1-August 15 for diagnostic radiology, interventional radiology, and radiation oncology residents. This will confirm they’ve successfully completed their residency training requirements (as defined by ACGME / RCPSC).

 

Exam Process

Qualifying Exam(s)

Registration

Eligible residents will get an email invitation three to four months before the exam.

Scoring

Results are posted in myABR about one month after the exam.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to take the exam, your residents must have:

• Submitted an application to the ABR
• Verified training
• Paid all fees

Diagnostic Radiology and Interventional Radiology/Diagnostic Radiology

• After 36 months of residency training, DR and IR/DR candidates can take the Qualifying (Core) Exam. With approval from the program director, candidates can elect to take the exam at or beyond 32 months of residency training. Please see the Diagnostic Radiology Core Exam Policy for more details and contact information@theabr.org to request the form.

See full eligibility requirements for DR and IR/DR.

Radiation Oncology

• After 36 months of residency training, RO candidates can take the physics and cancer biology parts of the exam. With approval from the program director, candidates can take the physics and cancer biology parts after 24 months. Contact information@theabr.org to request the form.
• After 44 months of residency training, they can take the physics, cancer biology, and clinical parts of the exam.

See full eligibility requirements.

Certifying Exam

To be eligible to take a certifying exam, residents must:

• Have paid all ABR fees
• Hold an active medical license
• Be board eligible with the ABR
• Have completed verified training in an internship and residency
• Have passed their qualifying exam or exams

Diagnostic Radiology

Diagnostic radiology candidates can take the DR Certifying Exam approximately 15 months after residency completion.

Three months before the exam, we’ll send an email inviting them to register for the exam in myABR.

Results will be posted in myABR about one month after the exam.

Interventional Radiology

There are two components to the Interventional Radiology Certifying Exam: computer-based and oral. They happen on separate days, and three to five months before each exam, we’ll send an email inviting them to register for the exams in myABR.

Interventional radiology candidates can take the computer-based component of the Certifying Exam any time after residency completion. They can take the oral component the calendar year following residency completion.

Results will be posted in myABR:

• About one month after the computer-based exam
• About two weeks after the oral exam

Radiation Oncology

Radiation oncology candidates can take the RO Oral Certifying Exam in the calendar year following residency completion. About five months before the exam, we’ll send an email inviting them to register for the exam in myABR.

Results will be posted in myABR about two weeks after the exam.

 

Request Accommodations

Here’s what to do if one of your residents requires special accommodations:

• Program Withdrawals: Submit a Withdrawal Form to information@theabr.org.
• Leaves of absence: These may require an extension of training. Follow your institution’s rules and consult the ABR Residency Leave Policy.
• Special Exam Accommodations: The ABR offers certain accommodations for lactating and expectant parents and individuals with disabilities. See Accommodations and Special Requests for more information.
• Late Applications: If a resident misses the initial application window (July-Oct), they may submit a late application in March for diagnostic radiology and interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology, or April for radiation oncology. A late fee may apply.