Teaching

The subject within the Faculty of Medicine

The subjects of Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Oncology/Radiation Therapy together form the Department of Medical Radiology (subdivision 5: Cross-sectional subjects) of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Basel. This department is currently made up of six professorships: Radiology, Neuroradiology, Radiological Physics, Nuclear Medicine, Radiological Chemistry and Radiation Oncology. Five are at the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, one is at the Institute of Radiation Oncology.

The teaching content of the Department of Medical Radiology is an integral part of the Human Medicine and Dentistry degree courses and is used in all years of study and in almost all subject blocks.

Bachelor, 1st year

Initial contact with radiology occurs in the first year of study with radiological physics and chemistry (subject block: introductory block) as well as with our introductory lectures and practical courses on radiological and nuclear medicine examination procedures (basic skills: manual, diagnostic and therapeutic skills: module independent of subject block: Introduction to radiological and nuclear medicine techniques and musculoskeletal system topic block).

We teach our students the basics of medical and radiological physics as well as the methodological aspects of radiology and nuclear medicine; the latter focuses on its clinical application. The possibilities, but also the methodological limitations of the various procedures are demonstrated, from which the respective range of indications is derived. Teaching takes place both in the form of concept lectures and in course form as practical demonstrations on the various devices. Radiation biology is also integrated into the introductory block, in which the basics of the interaction of ionizing radiation with cells and tissues are taught. Fundamental aspects of radiation protection - both in terms of legal requirements and clinical implementation - are also included in the introductory block.

Bachelor, 2nd and 3rd year

For the correct interpretation of radiological, nuclear medicine and radio-oncological examinations in the various organ areas, knowledge of the radiomorphological criteria of the various diseases is required. This is taught and deepened in the predominantly organ-specific subject blocks of the second and third years of study (subject blocks: digestive tract, cardiovascular system, respiration or healthy-diseased-tumor, kidney and urinary tract, nervous system-sense organs, reproduction).

Radiology and nuclear medicine are not only represented in the compulsory subject blocks, but are also an integral part of the elective curriculum in human medicine: with a clinical module on systematic clinical radiological image analysis in the second year of study as well as an interprofessional module and an in-depth module on radiation protection in the third year of study.

For the Dental Medicine specialization, we also offer a series of lectures on radiology and nuclear medicine in dentistry in the third year of study.

Master, 1st and 2nd year

The organ-specific subject blocks of the first and second Master's year (cardiovascular system, endocrine systems, musculoskeletal system, respiratory system, blood/infection/defense, digestive tract, kidney and urinary tract or nervous system/sensory organs, psyche/ethics/law, reproduction) deepen the knowledge already acquired. In corresponding concept lectures, the appropriate use of radiological procedures (indication), the optimization of the procedures used and the systematics of image interpretation are presented for specific organs. The supplementary practical courses enable students to gain their own application experience with representative cases and to recognize and precisely determine clinical pictures based on their radiomorphological appearance.

Outside of this teaching program, radiological examinations are regularly integrated into the presentation of the individual clinical pictures.

Master, 2nd and 3rd year (elective year)

see our offer for sub-assistance. Students interested in Master's theses can find suggestions via the Master's thesis exchange of the Dean's Office, but can also contact us directly with suggestions for topics: Dr. phil. Seline Schellenberg

Master, 3rd year

The elective year and the Master's thesis are followed by the last two thematic blocks (Emergency, From Symptom to Diagnosis) of the Human Medicine course in the spring semester of the 3rd Master's year. Clinical situations form the starting point for the interdisciplinary lectures. Cases are used to discuss differential diagnosis in a practical and interdisciplinary manner.

Radiology, nuclear medicine and radiation oncology are represented in both subject blocks.

Sub-assistance

We will introduce you to the fields of radiology and nuclear medicine by immersing you in our day-to-day work. You will take part in every step of the process, from determining the indication to weighing up the risks and benefits, planning, performing, evaluating and reporting examinations. Depending on the length of your stay with us, you will become familiar with the entire spectrum of our examination equipment as well as complex post-processing algorithms.

We are not always close to the patient (with the exception of nuclear medicine therapies and interventional and neuroradiological procedures), but we are close to the diagnosis and key clinical decisions. Thanks to our organ-specialized organization, we are able to obtain particularly comprehensive, relevant information and incorporate it into clinical discussions and decision-making in a targeted manner. Based on typical pathologies, you will get to know and appreciate the importance of modern diagnostics. The broad medical spectrum covered in our clinic is a great advantage and enables you to significantly expand your pathomorphological understanding of diseases.

You will be able to deepen your knowledge considerably by participating in and contributing to our further and advanced training courses. Depending on the length of your stay (at least 1 month, rotations after 2 weeks), you will rotate to abdominal and oncological diagnostics, cardiothoracic diagnostics, musculoskeletal diagnostics and neuroradiology, or, if you are specifically interested, to nuclear medicine or interventional radiology.

Learning objectives

The professional learning objectives include expanding your knowledge of the appropriate use of radiological methods and the qualified interpretation of examination results as well as the pathomorphological understanding of diseases:

• Examination of the indication against the background of medical history, clinical questions and given (preliminary) findings
• Weighing up the benefits and risks of each examination
• Monitoring of examinations and quality assurance
• Systematic analysis of pathological changes with differential diagnostic assessment in the clinical context
• Case presentations at clinical reports, conferences
• Participation in emergency care

By actively participating in the daily work of the various specialties and departments, you will gain an overview of the entire field of radiology and nuclear medicine (depending on the rotation).

Tasks

Your tasks will include

• familiarization with radiological and nuclear medicine methods (as well as technical procedures)
• (under supervision) independent diagnosis of conventional chest and skeletal x-rays
• (under supervision) Independent performance and diagnosis of sonographies
• Participation in the diagnosis of cross-sectional imaging examinations (CT, MRI, if interested also SPECT/CT and PET/CT) with post-processing, image analysis and preparation of findings
• Participation in clinical reports and conferences
• Active participation and collaboration in our further education and training courses (e.g. case presentations in our internal lunchtime reports)

Requirements and availability

Students of our faculty in their elective year of study as well as students in their final year of study (for foreign students) are very welcome. You should have a detective-like interest in diagnostic imaging.

The following literature is to be acquired before the start of the sub-assistance:
M. Reiser, F.-P. Kuhn, J. Debus: Radiologie, Thieme, ²⁰¹⁷⁴ (esp. chapters "Rad. Procedures", "Nuclear Medicine", "Skeleton"). For further literature, see our teaching material recommendations.

Available places: 1-4/month

Duration and choice of work area

Program duration: 1-4 months with full workload, mandatory from the first day of the month. Depending on the length of stay, the following areas of work are possible:

• Radiology: rotations are possible in abdominal and oncological diagnostics, cardiothoracic diagnostics, musculoskeletal diagnostics and neuroradiology (minimum duration: 1 month, rotation change after 2 weeks in each case).
• Nuclear medicine (on request, minimum duration: 1 month)
• Interventional radiology (on request)

We take preferences into account where possible, but cannot guarantee a desired assignment.

Application modalities

Please send your application with the following documents in digital form to Yasmine Wick

• Letter of motivation
• CV (preferably with photo)
• Current proof of enrollment
• Examination documents (certificates of previous academic achievements)
• Copy of ID (for students from abroad)
• Please specify in which specialty you would like to work: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Interventional Radiology).

You can submit your application at any time. Ms. Yasmine Wick (application procedure) and the Radiology and Nuclear Medicine secretariat will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Clinical traineeships and internships

The same conditions apply to clinical traineeships as to internships. However, they are unpaid.
There is also the possibility to get a taste of working with us for a shorter period (1-3 weeks) as part of an internship.

Please also contact Yasmine Wick and the Radiology and Nuclear Medicine secretariat .

Radiology and nuclear medicine are at the interface between pathomorphology and the clinic. A systematic understanding of pathomorphological changes and the conclusions that can be drawn about underlying diseases are crucial for the correct interpretation of radiological and nuclear medicine examinations.

The concrete application of this knowledge takes place in courses that are integrated into the relevant subject blocks on an organ-specific basis. Here, representative cases are presented in the sense of 'problem-based learning', which are first interpreted independently in small groups and then systematically analyzed together.

Information on the teaching and learning methods can also be found on the website of the Faculty of Medicine.

Teaching materials

Recommendations for teaching materials

All documents relating to our courses are available to students online for in-depth self-study via the University of Basel's platforms (OLAT and Adam).

Our documents are protected by copyright. All rights are held by the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at the University Hospital Basel. Reproduction and further use of the illustrations and texts is only permitted with the consent of the authors.

The assessment of learning success in radiology and nuclear medicine is carried out in three stages:

1. Examination of the acquired knowledge in the MC (Multiple Choice) examinations of the individual annual courses
2. Examination of the acquired skills of correct image interpretation as part of the OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination)
3. Examination of the overall knowledge acquired in the federal examination (human medicine or dentistry)

Further information on the MC and OSCE examinations can be found on the Faculty of Medicine website. The Office of the Dean of Studies can also provide information.

Radiology examination as part of the federal examination (human medicine and dentistry)

The latest information on the federal examination in human medicine and dentistry can be found on the website of the Federal Office of Public Health.

The Swiss Catalogue of Learning Objectives for Undergraduate Medical Training applies to the examination content for human medicine.

Exam preparation

The best way to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge is to consult the books listed in the study guides.

A CD with case studies can be borrowed for practical exam preparation in diagnostic radiology:

University Hospital Basel
Clinic for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine
Claudia Miescher (Office of Abdominal and Oncologic Radiology)
Petersgraben 4
CH-4031 Basel
Ms. C. Miescher │ +41 (0)61 265 43 44

The CD does not replace the study of a textbook. Although it contains many radiologically diagnosable diseases, it is not representative and in no way exhaustive. It is also not a textbook, as the cases are not annotated. The anamnesis, the clinic and the diagnosis are given, but the interpretation of the images must be worked out for yourself.

Our documents are protected by copyright. All rights are held by the Department of Medical Radiology at the University Hospital Basel. Reproduction and further use of the images and texts is only permitted with the consent of the department management.

Training to become a radiology specialist takes three years.

It is divided into theoretical sequences at the Basel-Stadt Health Education Center (BZG) in Münchenstein and practical sequences at the training location, for example the University Hospital Basel:

After successfully completing the course, students receive the federally recognized diploma as a radiology specialist HF.

Content of the practical training

The practical training sequences take place in all specialist areas of radiology (diagnostic radiology, radiation oncology and nuclear medicine). We use the following procedures and forms of therapy at the Clinic for Radiology and Nuclear Medicine:

• conventional X-ray diagnostics
• fluoroscopy
• mammography
• computer tomography
• Magnetic resonance imaging
• angiography
• Scintigraphy (static, dynamic, perfusion and receptor scintigraphy)
• Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)
• Single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT)
• Endocrine diagnostics
• osteodensitometry
• Radionuclide therapy (tumor, joint and pain therapy)
• Production of radiopharmaceuticals (radiological chemistry)
  

For examination procedures and forms of therapy in radiation oncology and radiology in pediatrics and adolescent medicine, see the following websites:

• Radiotherapy and radiooncology
• University Children's Hospital Basel (UKBB)

Part of our training concept is that the students complete an external internship planned by us and thus expand their training spectrum.

Training salary

The financial remuneration of around CHF 50,000 starts on the first day of training and is broken down as follows:

• CHF 1100 per month in the first year of training
• CHF 1,300 per month in the second year of training
• CHF 1,500 per month in the third year of training

Possibility of a specialized baccalaureate

During the course of training to become a qualified radiology specialist HF, graduates of the Fachmaturitätsschule (FMS) have the option of submitting their specialist baccalaureate thesis in the field of health and thus obtaining the specialist baccalaureate.

Persons with the following previous education are admitted to the training course for qualified radiology specialists HF:

• Completion of FMS (technical baccalaureate school) with or without a technical baccalaureate
• High school diploma
• Graduation from a commercial secondary school
• Graduation from the Rudolf Steiner School with IMS-F certificate
• Federal certificate of proficiency (e.g. healthcare assistant - FAGE) with or without vocational baccalaureate

Applicants should also meet the following requirements:

• Interest and sound knowledge in scientific subjects such as physics, chemistry and biology
• Technical understanding
• initiative, organizational and improvisational skills
• Good powers of observation
• Accurate and careful work
• communication skills
• ability to work in a team
• Empathy and patience
• Reliability and a sense of responsibility

Our students have access to an excellent infrastructure as part of their training to become qualified radiology specialists. As the largest training center for radiology specialists in Northwestern Switzerland, the Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine - together with the Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology - has excellent imaging and therapeutic equipment as well as extensive experience in the training and education of its specialist staff.

Training starts twice a year, in the spring and fall semesters; we offer six students a training place each time.

Further information: The Bildungszentrum Gesundheit Basel-Stadt (BZG) organizes monthly information events on the training course. The current dates can be found on the BZG website or on request

BZG Health Education Center Basel-Stadt
Binningerstrasse 2
CH-4142 Münchenstein
Phone +41 (0)61 417 77 77 | Fax +41 (0)61 417 77 78
bzg@bzgbs.ch | www.bzgbs.ch

If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us personally:

Application

You can apply electronically for one of our training places via the application platform https://www.abhf.ch. Select the University Hospital Basel and upload your documents. If they meet the requirements, we will be happy to invite you to an interview, where we will get a personal impression of you - and you of us. You will also have the opportunity to clarify any open questions directly.

Aptitude internship

The internship lasts three days. As a rule, we will inform you of the result in writing within 14 days. If you pass the internship, we will forward your dossier to the training provider for review.

Admission to training

The admissions committee examines all the documents and decides on admission to training at the BZG. In some cases - depending on the level of training - the admissions committee requires the BZG's Refresher Course in Natural Sciences (one week before the start of training in September).

Once the admission committee has made a positive decision, we - as the practice institution - can conclude the contract with you. Please do not hesitate to contact our Vocational Training Officer, Georgia Kolakovic, to clarify any questions you may have.