Introduction

Why are Academies being created?

There is a national shortage of Radiologists in the UK. As a response to this shortage the Department of Health and Royal college of Radiologists have launched a training initiative bringing together new and traditional training methods for radiology to increase national training capacity. This integrated training initiative (ITI) will fundamentally restructure the training of radiologists in their first three years. It combines traditional training with more modern education approaches delivered in the setting of a new training environment, “The Academy”. These Academies will present a curriculum based learning course for the trainees during approximately half of their working time.

Training Scheme structure

The programme will be technologically and educationally advanced using state of the art learning techniques and equipment. The other half of the trainees work time will be traditional departmental training under consultant supervision. This will increase training capacity while maintaining and improving the already high standard of radiology training in Leeds. In the fourth year the trainees will apply these skills in a District General Hospital setting. In the final year of their training the trainee can return to the base teaching hospitals to obtain subspecialty training in keeping with their career choice. During this year the senior trainees will again utilise the learning opportunities within the Academy and begin to gain teaching experience by teaching the junior specialist radiology registrars.