Technical difficulties: Contact the MEIS Help Desk at 934-6620 or meis@uab.edu
Issues concerning schedule content: Contact Donna R. Martin at (205) 996-4442 or drmartin@uabmc.edu
To search for call people after 12 AM, please use the preceding date.
Updated Call Responsibilities for Radiologists beginning 7/3/2019
1. CALL GENERAL CHECKOUT AM/PM
Provides in-house coverage for radiographic studies on weekends and holidays, working with the first call resident.AM Shift: This radiologist will read all conventional radiographs posted on the weekend work list between 5 p.m. the preceding Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday for Saturday AM call, and between 3 p.m. the preceding Saturday and 5 a.m. for Sunday AM call. The expected arrival time is no later than 8:00 a.m.
PM Shift: This radiologist will read all conventional radiographs posted on the weekend work list between 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday and between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. Sunday. The expected arrival time is no later than 12:00 p.m.
Shifts Worklist Coverage
SAT AM 5PM – 3 AM
SAT PM 3AM – 3 PM
SUN AM 3PM – 5 AM
SUN PM 5AM – 3 PM
Please note that these times are often altered on holidays in order to maintain an equitable distribution of workload. These adjustments will be sent to the assigned radiologists via email in advance.
2. CALL CT/US CHECKOUT
This Body Imaging radiologist will read chest and abdomen/pelvis CTs, non-neuro CT angiograms, and all sonograms done between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekends and holidays, working with the second call resident. In addition, the attending will oversee GI fluoroscopic studies performed by the first call resident. The expected arrival time is no later than 8:00 a.m.3. CALL CT/US/GENERAL
This Body Imaging radiologist will be available to provide backup to in-house attendings between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. when assigned.GUIDELINES FOR GENERAL EVENING ATTENDING COVERAGE
The Evening Attending shift was originally created to help relieve the call burden for our residents. As well, it is now aligned with our goal to provide on-site attending-level coverage at all times. Although important, teaching is somewhat secondary in this situation. Additional compensation is provided for this shift because it is considered to be in addition to the typical faculty or fellow job responsibilities.Hours
In-house Evening Attending coverage spans 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. If the clinical work on your daytime assignment prevents you from beginning your evening shift on time, page the Radiologist Assistant or second-call resident (via the second call pager) to let them know you are in-house available by pager, and will join the resident as soon as possible.
Duties
1. The Evening Attending is responsible for interpretation of all ED radiographs from the “First Call” worklist that are completed prior to 9:45 p.m.
a. There should be a periodic checkout of ED radiography cases independent of the first-call resident throughout the evening. A single checkout session at the end of the shift is not sufficient. Before you depart at 10:00 p.m., be sure that you have reviewed and signed all ED cases that have been completed in PACS by 9:45 p.m. Consult with the first-call resident if there is a disagreement with their preliminary interpretation or about difficult cases.
2. The Evening Attending is responsible for interpretation of all inpatient CTs from the “Second Call” worklist that are completed prior to 9:45 p.m.
a. There should be a periodic checkout of inpatient CT cases independent of the second-call resident throughout the evening. Before you leave at 10:00 p.m., make certain that you have reviewed and signed all cases that have completed in PACS by 9:45 p.m.
i. The evening attending is expected to dictate contemporaneously with the residents and ED attendings, to help keep the worklists caught up.
b. It is important to checkout studies independent of the call residents. Most cases can be checked out by simply referring to the resident’s report. It is recommended, however, that you discuss problematic cases with the residents. You are expected to dictate cases independently, to maintain the worklist.
Daytime attending assignments in CT and ultrasound end at 5 p.m. Most exams performed prior to 5 p.m. should be read and finalized prior ot the shift.
3. The Evening Attending is responsible for interpretation of all ultrasounds performed on UED patients, and inpatient ultrasound exams with significant findings.
a. Inpatient routine and non-emergent exams, that do not have emergent sonographic findings, will be dictated by the Body attending the following day. (Sonographers are aware of findings that warrant immediate interpretation by the Evening Attending; if they page you, please respond quickly.)
b. During weekdays, a Sonography Radiology Assistant (SRA) will be present from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. to assist in the performance and interpretation of ultrasound studies.
c. If a female pelvic or scrotal US is requested from the ED, the sonographer will page the second-call resident so that they can gain experience in interpreting these studies. The second-call resident will then discuss the findings with the Evening Attending.
4. In the event that inpatient CTs, ultrasounds, and ED radiographs have all been read, the Evening Attending is expected to read ED exams from the “Second Call” worklist.
a. Inpatient CT exams on the “Second Call” worklist are the Evening Attending’s priority, but helping dictate ED CT exams from the “Second Call” worklist, allows the ED radiologist to provide more help to the evening neuro attendings. Helping out with ED CTs is strongly encouraged.
General Guidelines
As above, the Evening Attending should share the workload with the first- and second-call residents. For example, if the service is busy it may be advantageous for the Evening Attending to cover a pelvic or scrotal ultrasound ultrasound while the second-call resident covers CT, or vice versa. The residents should profit from your experience in learning how to effectively manage their time.
There are two additional ED Section attendings onservice during the Evening Attending shift, that will be reading the ED studies from the “Second Call” and the “Neuro CT” worklists. It is expected that the Evening Attending and ED radiologists will be able to handle most cases without additional assistance. However, there is attending backup available in all subspecialty areas should the need arise (natural disasters, etc.).
Prior to departure at the end of the shift, it is essential to communicate with the ED radiologists about any pending non-routine studies or issues, to ensure a smooth handoff and allow you to depart as close as possible to 10 p.m., while not unfairly burdening either radiologist.
Sign-Up
The shifts are initially filled on a first-come, first-served, voluntary basis. Donna R. Martin (drmartin@uabmc.edu) handles the sign-up process. Instructions for sign-up will be provided well in advance of each sign-up period. Shifts are filled on a first-come, first-served, voluntary basis, as detailed in the instructions distributed by Donna R. Martin (drmartin@uabmc.edu), who is the administrator for the Evening Shift sign-up process.
If you sign up for a shift, you are responsible for finding alternative coverage if you are unable to cover a shift that you chose to cover during the sign-up process or were assigned to cover per the random selection process above. If you swap an evening obligation with someone, please notify Donna Martin promptly.
In the event of an extreme emergency that arises after hours contact Donna R. Martin (205) 862-8516 and she will assist in finding replacement coverage. Please also notify the first- and second-call residents.
The Department of Radiology greatly appreciates your contribution to this effort, which enhances our ability to provide excellent patient care at all times.