Radiology

Radiology lies at the heart of hospital activity and provides accurate and timely support to almost every other clinical specialty.

Doctors apply both diagnostic and therapeutic skills in a framework of rapidly evolving interventional procedures and medical technology. They need excellent communication skills to support patients who are referred from many sources and specialties and to work with clinicians across disciplines. Wales offers an outstanding run-through education programme, supported by enthusiastic and forward-thinking consultants.

TRAINING IN WALES

Wales has two separate schemes – one based in north Wales and one in the south. The programme is well established and offers structured teaching and training in the many University Hospitals across Wales.

Radiology training in south Wales is supported by National Imaging Academy Wales (NIAW), with training time divided between the Academy and clinical placements. Further details of the Academy model can be found on the NIAW website.

The south Wales scheme is the larger of the schemes with a capacity to train 100 trainees. Training is regionalised into south east Wales (based in hospitals around Cardiff) and south west Wales (based in hospitals around Swansea). Specialist placements in areas such as paediatrics, neuroradiology and interventional radiology may necessitate training out of region at one of the bigger centres.

The north Wales scheme is a completely separate scheme to south Wales, and training is mainly delivered in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), with teaching supported by the North West of England School of Radiology. Specialist placements are undertaken in hospitals around Liverpool and Manchester. The north Wales scheme is the smaller of the schemes, with 11 trainees currently in post.

Training is split into three years of core training in all disciplines of clinical radiology, followed by two years of subspecialty training. An additional sixth year of training is provided for those pursuing an interest and career in the sub-specialties of vascular interventional, neurovascular interventional radiology and nuclear medicine. Trainees who undertake subspecialty training in heavily specialised areas (i.e. neurovascular interventional) are supported to undertake out of program placements in centres outside of Wales in order to maximise breadth of training and experience.