ACR expands radiology internship program to 1st year medical students

The American College of Radiology (ACR) launched an initiative in 2016 specifically targeted at women and minorities to encourage their interest in a career as a radiologist or researcher in radiology. The Pipeline Initiative for the Enrichment of Radiology (PIER) internship program is now being expanded to include current first-year medical students who identify as underrepresented minorities or women.

Since its inception, 15 medical students have completed the PIER internship to date. ACR’s objective for the internship program is to provide medical students with a diverse clinical radiology experience and to see all aspects of radiology.

The internship begins each June. Ideally, the interns are integrated into medical student lecture and reading room rotation schedules. Each participant also performs a research project for six to seven weeks under the supervision of a volunteer ACR member radiologist. They subsequently present their research to the radiology section of the National Medical Association in July or August.

Supervising radiologists are responsible for communicating with their interns about new or ongoing research projects several months prior to their arrival, for enlisting assistance from department biostatisticians for assistance with study design and data analysis, for obtaining Institutional Research Board (IRB) approval in advance, and for developing a schedule of deliverables for the research project.

Applications for the PIER Internship Summer 2020 must be submitted by December 31, 2019, and can be accessed by clicking here. The deadline for radiologists interesting in applying to become a preceptor is January 31, 2020. Detailed information and an application form may be accessed here.