Curriculum
Academic Curriculum
The core lecture series is designed to complement the interns’ clinical instruction, and provide essential foundational knowledge on the topics of patient care, equipment and instrumentation, vascular anatomy and pathology, and procedures.
The lecture series is supported and provided by vascular interventional technologists, physicians, physicists, and other hospital staff and faculty, many of whom are recognized as leading authorities in their area of specialty, with widely recognized contributions to education, clinical care, and research. Lectures are scheduled every Monday through Thursday from 2:00pm-4:00pm.
- Vascular and Non-Vascular Anatomy for VI Radiographers
- History of Interventional Radiology
- Patient Care
- Pharmacology
- Equipment and Instrumentation: Diagnostic Inventory
- Equipment and Instrumentation: Central Venous Access
- Equipment and Instrumentation Intravascular Ultrasound
- Equipment and Instrumentation: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty
- Dialysis Access: Arteriovenous Fistulas and Grafts
- Equipment and Instrumentation: Implantable Devices
- Equipment and Instrumentation: Microwires, Microcatheters, and Embolization
- Equipment and Instrumentation: Thrombectomy
- Equipment and Instrumentation: Thrombolysis
- Equipment and Instrumentation: Atherectomy
- Equipment and Instrumentation: Re-entry Devices
- Equipment and Instrumentation: CT Scanning and Procedural Use
- EKG Interpretation
- Neuro Anatomy, Pathology, and Intervention
- Endourinary Anatomy, Pathology, and Intervention
- Thoracic Anatomy, Pathology, and Intervention
- Abdominal Anatomy, Pathology, and Intervention
- Hepatic Anatomy, Pathology, and Intervention
- Pelvic Anatomy, Pathology, and Intervention
- Lower Extremity Anatomy, Pathology, and Intervention
- VI Board Prep
Additional lectures on specific and specialized topics are provided throughout the year. Interns will attend all scheduled lectures and demonstrate learned knowledge through assessment. These lectures adequately prepare interns to successfully sit for their ARRT VI board exam.
Clinical Curriculum
Comprehensive clinical education is an essential component of transforming a credentialed radiologic technologist into a skilled and knowledgeable vascular interventional technologist.
The Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology at the University of Virginia consists of six interventional suites and two hybrid CT suites. Additionally, the vascular interventional technologists are responsible for staffing two hybrid endovascular OR suites. Interns will daily be partnered with a technologist mentor and assigned to a suite. Under the guidance of technologists and physicians, interns will acquire the skillset needed to purposefully contribute to the interventional team, and positively contribute to safe patient outcomes. Interns will be expected to apply critical thinking skills and learned knowledge to assist in a variety of interventional procedures both as a scrub technologist as well as a competent circulator.
Learned workflow for interns will include acquiring appropriate pre-procedure information and clinical history, applying learned knowledge of imaging to appropriately prepare for procedures, and competently acquiring diagnostic imaging and providing appropriate procedural support, supplies, and engagement throughout the course of the case.
In addition to daily clinical instruction interns will also be assigned rotating call shifts with technologists. Call shifts are an essential component of the intern’s educational experience.
Upon completion of their internship, interns will have performed the required number of interventional exams to successfully sit for their ARRT VI board exam.