Congratulations on being one step closer to the world of radiology (the best specialty in medicine)! Thank you for considering our program. We, the chief residents of the class of 2025, are excited to share some information about our time at Loma Linda and our radiology residency.

Our Residents: The residents at Loma Linda are strong, clinically-oriented radiologists who develop early autonomy and grow to become efficient and effective at rendering care in a wide variety of settings. Our hospital is a certified level I trauma, stroke, thrombectomy, STEMI, and transplant center that will prepare you to practice radiology in any setting. Our residents go on to achieve excellent reputations at nationally-recognized fellowships in every radiologic subspecialty. There is a strong sense of camaraderie amongst our residents with friendships that extend beyond the reading room.

Our Faculty: Our faculty hold a wide array of clinical backgrounds with experience in both academic and private practice radiology. Our faculty leadership emphasizes resident education and makes a constant effort to improve the quality of our program. Year after year, our residents are grateful for the mentorship they receive, which often develops into professional and personal relationships that continue even after graduation. Our faculty have connections all over the Southern California area and across the country.

Our Education:

Workstation experience: Our attending staff have a passion for teaching and are eager to adopt new methods conducive to resident education. Read-out opportunities are frequent and occur throughout the day, most of which are performed face-to-face with direct feedback. In addition to sharing their radiology knowledge, our attendings connect with residents as individuals and it is not uncommon to discuss shared hobbies and interests (travel, gaming, sports, investing, and so on).

Conference: Our program has two protected conference times scheduled in the morning (7:25 AM – 8:15 AM) and in the afternoon (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM) on most weekdays, Monday through Friday, with several protected wellness hours throughout the month. The lectures are done by senior residents, fellows, attendings, radiology physicists, and radiology technologists with a mix of both didactic and case-based content. Residents will also engage in peer education by presenting at several conferences, including showing unique or educational cases at the end of each rotation, sharing challenging cases from their call shifts, and educating the other residents at monthly journal clubs throughout the year.

Board Review: RadPrimer, e-Anatomy, and MRI Online subscriptions are provided for all residents throughout residency. During the R1 year, monthly oral exam sessions are held with a focus on the foundations of radiology and common call cases. Many of our case-based conferences are also done in a style reminiscent of oral board exams, allowing residents to build their knowledge and confidence in a friendly, low-stress environment. Dedicated board-specific faculty lectures are provided in the months leading up to the Core Exam for the R3 residents. The program also provides a stipend for attending board review courses during the R3 year.

Resident Teaching experience: There are extensive formal and informal opportunities for residents to teach medical students and other residents. Informal teaching occurs daily at the workstation. Radiology residents will also have the opportunity to give dedicated radiology lectures to medical students on specialty rotations including surgery, OB/GYN, and pediatrics. Senior residents will provide lectures with a focus on the Core Exam and in their chosen fellowship specialty.

Graduated Call: A strong point of our program is a graduated call system prior to independent night float rotations. For the first 6 months of the R1 year, preparations are made for the call experience by focusing on developing a foundational knowledge of radiology and there are no call expectations at this time. During the second 6 months of the R1 year, residents take buddy call from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM, covering radiographs, ultrasounds, and fluoroscopy studies with attending supervision and a senior resident present. During the first 6 months of the R2 year, residents begin taking weekend radiograph, ultrasound, and fluoroscopy call. During the second 6 months of R2 year, residents begin taking weekday CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine call from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Residents also cover the weekday Body PM and Neuro PM shifts during their R2 year, which allow for exposure to a high volume of high acuity studies, particularly trauma cases, with attending supervision. During the first 6 months of the R3 year, CT, MRI, and nuclear medicine call is taken on the weekends. Also during R3 and R4 years, residents complete their Emergency rotations, where senior residents cover all overnight inpatient, urgent care, and emergency department cases without a nighthawk service.

Social Activity: Given the many natural wonders of Southern California, our program is home to many hikers, campers, and runners who have formed groups that trek several hikes a year and regularly compete in local 5K/10K/marathon events. We also have a Women in Radiology group, with frequent mentoring and networking opportunities. Our radiology department engages in many local community outreach opportunities and is beginning a global health radiology program with plans for our first international rotation this year. And perhaps best of all, we have a competitive annual fantasy football league with a highly coveted large trophy in our main resident reading room.

Our Research: Research is well-supported at Loma Linda. Several residents have received research awards, including AUR Research Award, RSNA Roentgen Resident Research Award, and appointment into the ACR-AUR Research Scholar Program. Several faculty members are recipients of research grants. All residents are expected to complete a quality improvement project and mentored research project during their R1 and R2 years, respectively. Both of these projects are presented at grand rounds, and residents are encouraged to submit these projects for publication. Our research committee evaluates all resident publications and provides monetary awards. In previous years, residents have presented projects in Canada, Spain, South Korea, France, and the Netherlands.

Our City: Loma Linda is a comfortably-sized, safe town nestled within the Inland Empire of Southern California. In 2008, it earned the distinction of being the only “Blue Zone” in the United States. Blue Zones are population clusters showing healthy traits and unusual longevity, with a number of individuals living past the age of 100.  Loma Linda is directly adjacent to the city of Redlands, where many residents live. Within Redlands is a historic district, university, and downtown with a weekly farmers market, many boutique shops, and lots of great restaurants. While the Inland Empire itself offers its own gems, if one is up for adventure, there are many world-renowned destinations a short drive away! We are centrally located 30-45 minutes from the San Bernardino mountains, including Big Bear Lake, and about 1 hour away from Joshua Tree National Park. Local city excursions include Orange County (1 hour drive), Los Angeles (about 1-1.5 hours drive), and San Diego (1.5 hour drive).

We hope that this brief overview of our program has been informative and we are grateful for your consideration. As residents, we are truly thankful for our time at Loma Linda and are proud to soon be alumni of this program. We firmly believe that if you choose to come to our program, you will leave as an excellent radiologist, well-prepared to practice modern radiology in whatever setting you choose. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have!

Your Chief Residents,

Brock Miller, Haley Reis, Joshua Maclaughlan