Exchange Programme for Abdominal Radiology Fellowships (ESGAR)

The trend towards increasing subspecialisation led the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR), supported by the European Society of Radiology (ESR) and the European School of Radiology (ESOR), to take the initiative in establishing an exchange programme for fellowships or subspecialisation training in abdominal radiology.

Aim

The application of new technologies to abdominal and gastrointestinal radiology has resulted in amazing breakthroughs, with rapid development and refinement of sophisticated diagnostic imaging tests. These technologic advances over the past decade have affected the requirements for the practice of abdominal radiology.

The Exchange Programme for Abdominal Radiology Fellowship offers an opportunity to complement subspecialisation training in abdominal radiology or an existing structured fellowship programme, through exchange, in this field of radiology. It will provide an intense modular training in all areas of abdominal radiology, including conventional radiology and fluoroscopy, sonography, CT, MRI, and image-guided biopsies and therapeutic interventions.

This programme is organised through ESOR and will expose trainees to all aspects of abdominal radiology under the supervision of an assigned mentor, who is a fellow member of ESGAR, in a pre-selected European reference training centre.

Number of available places

Five places will be offered and organised through ESOR. The successful applicants will receive a grant jointly provided by ESR/ESOR and ESGAR.

Eligibility

1. This exchange programme applies to radiologists within the first three-four years after certification, who desire to become subspecialist radiologists.
2. The applicant must have knowledge of current clinical practice in radiology with regard to cross-sectional imaging. Competence in producing a radiological report, in communication with clinicians and patients, and knowledge of the principles of administration and management applied to a clinical department with multi-disciplinary staff and high-cost equipment are essential. Understanding the medicolegal implications of uncertainty and errors in diagnostic radiology is necessary. A clinical background in other disciplines which was achieved through clinical experience and training prior to entering the fellowship is important, whereas, clinical experience in gastroenterology, oncology or visceral surgery would be a benefit.
3. Applicants must be fluent in English.
4. Active ESR and ESGAR membership are required.
   
   PLEASE NOTE:
   • Applicants who were selected for this programme in the past cannot be considered for a second time.
   • It will be possible to apply for one programme and within this programme for one topic only.
   • To ensure equal opportunities candidates should apply only to institutions outside of their country of residence/work.
   • All applications will be carefully reviewed by an evaluation committee after the submission deadline.
   • The selected candidates will be asked to provide additional documents to the training centre for administrative purposes.
   • A valid Covid-19 vaccination certificate will be required by most hospitals.
   • The selected fellows are further asked to take care of their health insurance and are responsible for their visa. (Please make sure to apply in time because of longer waiting periods.)

Duration and funding

The fellowship takes place in the second half of the year and lasts for three months. The fellow receives a grant (€3.500,-) upon completion of the training, the delivery of a final report and the submission of original flight tickets and accommodation receipts. The grant is intended to contribute in part to travel and accommodation expenses during the training period. ESOR cannot guarantee that the grant will cover these costs in full. During the period of the training the fellow is responsible for covering his/her expenses and his/her own health insurance. The training itself is offered for free. Please note that in particular cases administrative charges may arise, which are to be covered by the grant.

Programme structure

Based on weekly training programme modules, the trainee will familiarise him/herself with the institution’s imaging equipment. He/She will then learn to become proficient at imaging examinations used to diagnose abdominal diseases, to review and interpret images, followed by case-by-case hands-on teaching on routine clinical cases with different modalities from experienced staff.

The training institutions expose each trainee to at least 250 mentored imaging studies (fluoroscopy and/or sonography and/or CT and/or MRI). Furthermore the trainee shall be trained by a mentor in the interpretation of 100 imaging studies from an established teaching file or previous cases. At the end of the training programme the trainee should be proficient in discussing the appropriate imaging modality and imaging technique with referring clinicians and be able to interpret different abdominal imaging examinations on his/her own.

In non-native English speaking training centres teaching would be in English, while major radiological conferences and reporting may be in the local language. Some knowledge of the local language may be an advantage.

The trainee will be able to observe clinical activities, but will not have direct patient care responsibilities.

It is the trainee’s responsibility to communicate with the centre regarding the details of the training and whether more responsibilities than observer status can be obtained. ESOR solely acts as facilitator and coordinator between the training centre and the trainee.

Certification