Top cardiac society releases new guidelines for training radiology students in cardiovascular CT

The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) on Friday released new imaging guidance for radiology and other cardiology trainees.

Published in a number of medical journals, including the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography, the document is intended for program directors designing a curriculum for training independent and/or advanced practitioners.

The 14-page guideline establishes new case volume and technical understanding milestones and thresholds to ensure trainees can achieve independent and advanced competency in coronary imaging, structural heart disease, and congenital heart disease.

It focuses on six core competencies as defined by the U.S. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education: medical knowledge; practice-based learning and improvement; patient care and procedural skills; systems-based practice; interpersonal and communication skills; and professionalism.

“The rapid growth and established benefit of a CCT approach in multiple clinical domains require programs to adopt a comprehensive training curriculum to meet the growing need for well-trained independent and advanced practitioners in both cardiology and radiology,” Andrew Choi, MD, co-chair and lead author of the new document, said in a statement. “This guideline allows cardiovascular medicine to expand high-quality CCT in the United States and around the world.”

SCCT maintained that its new guidelines are not meant to replace those put out by the American College of Radiology or American College of Cardiology.

Read the entire document here.

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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.

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