15-Month to Dual Diagnostic and Pediatric Radiology Application

The ABR has approved requirements for a pathway leading to eligibility for both specialty certification in diagnostic radiology and subspecialty certification in pediatric radiology.

Interested candidates must complete the application for DR certification through myABR before submitting this application.

To apply for the 15-month Pathway to dual certification, the ABR requires submission of two forms:

1. The Candidate Application Form (this form), submitted by the candidate, and
2. The Sponsoring Department Agreement (SDA), signed by the candidate’s program director and preceptor. Please download the SDA (see page 2) and ask the sponsoring department program director and preceptor complete the required information

Fees during the DR residency will be the same as those for a traditional resident. A fee for the pediatric radiology subspecialty exam will be required at the time of exam application.

15-Month Pathway Requirements

• Candidates seeking to apply to the 15-month pathway must submit the application and Sponsoring Department Agreement (SDA) for the American Board of Radiology (ABR) review at least six months before diagnostic radiology (DR) residency training completion. It is recommended that the candidate inform their residency program director and pediatric radiology preceptor at least 18 months prior to graduation to ensure that the proposed program satisfies requirements for SDA approval.
• An approved candidate who has successfully completed at minimum a total of 15 months of experience in pediatric radiology during the 48-month DR residency may qualify to sit for the ABR subspecialty certificate in pediatric radiology.
• To qualify for this pathway to subspecialty certification, all 15 months of experience must be in an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)- or Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (RCPSC)-accredited DR program. There is no requirement for an ACGME-accredited pediatric radiology fellowship at the same institution.

The 15 months may be completed at any time during the DR residency training. There is no requirement for consecutive months.

The 15 months is comprised of 12 core pediatric rotations and up to three pediatric radiology-related rotations.The collective experience for core pediatric rotations counting toward this pathway should involve on average greater than 80% of cases being in pediatric patients. 

• Reseach rotations are not accepted. 
• The training must meet ACGME program requirements for clinical experiences in pediatric radiology across modalities including radiography, fluoroscopy, Ultrasound, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine and molecular imaging (NMMI), as well as interventional procedures.
• The training must include experience across pediatric subspecialty areas including pediatric neuroradiology, pediatric body imaging, fetal imaging, pediatric cardiovascular imaging, pediatric musculoskeletal imaging, and pediatric NMMI.
• The training must include experience representing age-related (fetal/neonate/infant/child/adolescent) normal anatomy, growth and development, and the spectrum of disorders. 
• The training program must be overseen by a preceptor who is an ABR pediatric subspecialty certified radiologist at the time of application, and throughout the duration of the pathway. If a training program loses its pediatric subspecialty certified radiologists, the program cannot continue.

Pediatric Radiology-related Rotations

At the discretion of the diagnostic radiology program director and the candidate, up to three months of the 15-month training may be focused on either additional subspecialty training within pediatric radiology or in areas outside of pediatric radiology to gain technical expertise applicable towards pediatric patients; for example, gaining expertise in adult-oriented cardiac imaging that includes patients with treated congenital heart disease.

• Proposed rotations in any related, primarily adult radiology subspecialties must have substantial exposure to pediatric radiology content.

 

Sponsoring Department Agreement (SDA)

Please download the SDA located here, and have your sponsoring department program director complete the required information. After completed, use the file upload tool below to upload the completed SDA.

Agreement of Applicant

For the American Board of Radiology 15-month Pathway to Certification in Diagnostic Radiology and Subspecialty Certification in Pediatric Radiology

Please read carefully before signing.

I understand and agree that I must complete 15 months of pediatric radiology experience within a diagnostic radiology residency as set forth by my sponsoring program. See ABR 15-month pathway requirements here.

I agree to timely payment of initial certification fees during training and the period during which I am enrolled in the initial certification process but not yet certified.

I recognize the trustees of the ABR as the sole and only judge of my qualifications to receive and to retain a certificate issued by the Board.

I understand that I will have 6 years after successful completion of my residency to attain pediatric radiology subspecialty certification via the Pediatric Radiology Subspecialty Certifying Exam.

By typing my name and clicking “Submit,” I acknowledge and agree to the guidelines and information shown on pages 1-2 of this form. (Please type your full name below.)