Radiology Electives
Penn State College of Medicine offers several electives in radiology.
Contact Us
Dr. Jonathon Maffie
Director of Medical Student Education,
Department of Radiology Assistant Professor of Radiology
Phone: 717-531-4349
Laurie Shearer
Medical Student Program Coordinator
Phone: 717-531-5928
Electives and Acting Internships
Credits: 5 credits
Program director: Dr. James M. Brian
Location: Hershey
Maximum number of students: 1
Prerequisites: Third-year core clerkships
When offered: All rotations except July and August
Length of course: One month
Report to: Laurie Shearer
Date/time/location: 8 a.m., HG301L
Description: Tutorial course emphasizing interpretation, clinical correlation, indications and limitations of imaging studies used in the evaluation of infants and children
Credits: 5 credits
Program leadership: Dr. Jonelle Thomas
Maximum number of students: 4
Prerequisites: Must be a third-year student
When offered: Twice a year
Length of course: Two-weeks
Description: Using the Improving Diagnosis in Health Care report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as a framework, the Department of Radiology designed and now offers this 2-week CES session focusing on improving diagnosis in health care using the 2015 IOM report’s eight goals to guide students in development of solutions to reduce patient harm from diagnostic error. Deliverable is a project aimed at reducing diagnostic error and improving patient safety.
Credits: 5 credits
Program leadership: Dr. Angela Choe
Maximum number of students: 4
Prerequisites: Must be a third-year student
When offered: Twice a year
Length of course: Two-weeks
Description: This two-week elective offered to third-year medical students who wish to gain early clinical exposure to radiology offers students ability to rotate through all the reading rooms and procedure suites in the department of radiology.
Credits: 5 credits
Program leadership: Dr. Jonathon Maffie, Director
Location: Hershey
Maximum number of students: 7
Prerequisites: Completion of the first two years of medical school
When offered: All rotations except July and August
Length of course: One month
Date/time/location: 8 a.m., HG301L
Description: The elective exposes the student to all modalities currently used in diagnostic imaging and encourages learning by interaction with residents and faculty in an informal setting. A major objective of the elective is the understanding of the indications and contraindications for radiological studies and procedures as well as the cost-effective radiological work-up of various clinical conditions. Another major aim of the course is to teach issues of relevance for patient preparation for radiologic studies and procedures. For these reasons, the elective is of potential major benefit for any student, whatever his or her ultimate career objective may be.
Credits: 5 credits
Program director: Dr. Jonathon Maffie
Location: Hershey
Maximum number of students: Two
Prerequisites: XRAY 771 or special permission from course director
When offered: July through April
Length of course: One month
Date/time/location: 8 a.m., HG301L
Description: This course is designed for students considering a career in radiology. During the four weeks, the student receives in depth education and experience in the interpretation of radiologic studies. The major area of focus is the assessment of chest and skeletal radiographs with additional areas of study customized to individual student interests and objectives. The course provides similar experience to that of a beginning first year radiology resident. This course is useful to prepare students for future radiology residency through a "hands-on" approach.
Credits: 5 credits
Program leadership: Dr. Jonathon Maffie
Location: Virtual
Maximum number of students: 25
Prerequisites: Completion of the first two years of medical school
When offered: All rotations
Length of course: One month
Description: The elective exposes the student to all modalities currently used in diagnostic imaging and is entirely remote/virtual. The elective includes synchronous learning via live Zoom lectures by radiology faculty and residents and attendance at a clinical interdisciplinary conference. Non-synchronous learning includes online modules and readings with an end-of-rotation exam. A major objective of the elective is the understanding of the indications and contraindications for radiological studies and procedures and the cost-effective radiological work-up of various clinical conditions.
Other goals of the course include teaching issues of relevance for patient preparation for radiologic studies and procedures, as well as safety issues related to radiation, contrast material, etc. For these reasons, the elective is of potential major benefit for any student, whatever his or her ultimate career objective may be; however, students considering applying to a radiology residency should prioritize an in-person elective such as XRAY 771 or XRAY 700.
Credits: 5 credits
Program director: Faculty research adviser
Location: N/A
Maximum number of students: N/A
Prerequisites: Permission of the preceptor. Limited to students enrolled at Penn State College of Medicine.
When offered: All rotations
Length of course: One month
Description: Creative projects including non-thesis research, supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
Credits: 5 credits
Program director: Dr. Jonathon Maffie
Location: Designation for remote electives
Maximum number of students: N/A
Prerequisites: Permission of the preceptor. Limited to students enrolled at Penn State College of Medicine.
When offered: All rotations
Length of course: One month
Description: Creative projects and electives at outside institutions.