radiology Orientation goes virtual during pandemic
by mohsina yusuf
July 1st is one of the greatest days of the year for Emory Radiology. It’s the first day our new trainees and some new faculty members join us on campus and begin the next phase of their career. Traditionally, the first few days are dedicated to orientation usually held in person. However, due to the pandemic, our education team made the switch to a mostly virtual orientation session.
Some trainees were already at Emory doing a transitional year of training with an Emory program, while other trainees—including many of our fellows—arrived the last week of June.
Orientation is a multi-day event consisting of a variety of activities that are program and hospital specific. One day is set aside for GME orientation, and there are multiple days designated for both online and in-person computer training. The activities that transferred easily to a virtual environment were the ones that involved sharing information. For example, information about radiation safety, reporting, and how to locate their schedules were all presented and were easy virtual presentations.
New trainees also participated in the Service Excellence Institute, which was done virtually as opposed to the traditional in-person sessions.
Many of their activities at orientation still did require in-person contact, such as fit testing and some computer training, but new procedures were implemented that allowed for smaller group sizes and social distancing.
While the virtual orientations don’t allow for in-person socializing, one of the biggest advantages was that some of the presentations were created ahead of time. This allowed for trainees to view them at alternative times. The presentations were also recorded that can be easily referenced in the future.
Some trainees were already at Emory doing a transitional year of training with an Emory program, while other trainees—including many of our fellows—arrived the last week of June.
Orientation is a multi-day event consisting of a variety of activities that are program and hospital specific. One day is set aside for GME orientation, and there are multiple days designated for both online and in-person computer training. The activities that transferred easily to a virtual environment were the ones that involved sharing information. For example, information about radiation safety, reporting, and how to locate their schedules were all presented and were easy virtual presentations.
New trainees also participated in the Service Excellence Institute, which was done virtually as opposed to the traditional in-person sessions.
Many of their activities at orientation still did require in-person contact, such as fit testing and some computer training, but new procedures were implemented that allowed for smaller group sizes and social distancing.
While the virtual orientations don’t allow for in-person socializing, one of the biggest advantages was that some of the presentations were created ahead of time. This allowed for trainees to view them at alternative times. The presentations were also recorded that can be easily referenced in the future.