Musculoskeletal Imaging & Intervention Observership Program

About Our Visiting Observership Program

The Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) offers a Visiting Observership Program. This program is designed to expose the participant to daily read-out sessions and observation of a vast array of musculoskeletal imaging cases and procedures.

The goal of this observership is to gain experience in understanding and using radiologic tests (radiographs, computed tomography [CT] scans, ultrasounds [US], and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) to image the musculoskeletal system. In particular, the observer will be exposed to cases in sports medicine, rheumatology, orthopedic oncology, podiatry, and general medicine.

Our division also performs a high volume of interventional procedures including fluoroscopy/US-guided pain injections, and image-guided bone and soft tissue tumor biopsies. While the observer will not have direct patient contact, the images from the procedures and techniques and pitfalls for each procedure can be discussed.

The participant can attend conferences in orthopedic oncology (weekly), the musculoskeletal (MSK) fellowship lecture (biweekly), rheumatology (monthly), quality assurance case review (quarterly), endocrinology (biannual), and foot/ankle (biannual). The combination of these conference and group case discussions with individual case read-outs offers an opportunity for maximum interaction between the observer and MSK faculty. They will also have on-site access to a library of MSK lectures and over 5,000 cases for review.

The observer will be supervised by MSK faculty members who will be available for teaching and guidance. The observer will have only an observatory role on the MSK service and no clinical work requirements or direct patient contact. 

Observership Objectives

At the end of this observership, the participant will:

  • Expand their knowledge in the application of radiologic tests to evaluate and treat conditions of the musculoskeletal system.
  • Improve their ability to recognize the key imaging features for accurate diagnosis of diseases involving the musculoskeletal system.
  • Understand how to better use MRI, US, and CT imaging resources.
  • Become familiar with various musculoskeletal interventional procedures.

Target Audience

  • Radiology: practicing community and academic radiologists, residents, and fellows with an interest in musculoskeletal imaging.
  • Other Specialties: clinical physicians in orthopedics, podiatry, sports medicine, and general medicine.

Visa

International observers will obtain their own tourist Visa. A J1 Visa sponsorship is not offered from BIDMC for this course of study.

Tuition

Tuition is $2,000.00/month. Tuition is payable on confirmation of acceptance.

Please make checks payable to: Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians (HMFP) at BIDMC.

Registration

Observerships are offered during the academic year for one- to six-month periods.

Along with your completed application, please include your CV, a personal statement, and two letters of recommendation.