Radiology - An Exciting Specialty
Congratulations! You have chosen to explore one of the most important specialties in medicine: radiology. Radiology is a fundamental component of medical care; most patients need some sort of imaging study at some point in their lifetime. Radiology is not only a powerful diagnostic tool, radiology also is used to guide and even provide clinical care or treatment for patients of all ages, including infants and children.
Experience Radiology with an Observership
What Is an Observership?
An observership is an opportunity for individuals who have not yet attended medical school to see firsthand what a typical day in radiology is like, observe the breadth of care provided by radiologists, and learn about career paths in medicine.
Observerships last one week, Monday through Friday, and for a half-day each day. Students in the observership program do not provide any medical care; this is exclusively a shadowing experience. A student is assigned a sponsoring supervisor who is a member of the Emory Radiology clinical faculty for the duration of the observership.
What Is a Sponsoring Provider (Supervising Faculty Mentor)?
Every student must have a "sponsoring provider." A sponsoring provider is the faculty member who will supervise and mentor the student throughout the observership.
There are a number of ways to connect with a sponsoring provider. Some students may already know a faculty member from a program they attended or from hearing them lecture as a guest in one of their courses, or from family connections.
For students who don't already have a connection, we have faculty members who are eager to work with students. Click here to meet some of them.
Who Is Eligible for an Observership?
Undergraduate students from Emory are given first priority. Emory students should connect with the Emory Pre-Health Advising Office during the application process.
The following are the eligibility prerequisites established by Emory Healthcare. Neither Pre-Health Advising nor the Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences can grant exceptions to these requirements:
- Emory University undergraduate student must be classified as a current, full-time enrolled student and must have completed at least one full-time semester at Emory.
- Emory University undergraduate student is required to be in good standing. Conduct and Honor Code violations will be assessed by a Pre-Health Advising staff member to determine if they preclude eligibility.
- Emory University undergraduate student must have a minimum 2.0 overall grade point average.
- Emory University undergraduate student must have a Certificate of Completion for these two required HIPPA Training courses: HIPPA @Emory, and HIPPA Security (see below for access to the courses).
How Much Does an Observership Cost?
The following are the costs associated with an Emory Observership:
- $15 observership fee for Emory undergraduate students required by the School of Medicine
- $10 security badge fee required by Emory Healthcare
The Application Process
Every applicant must obtain clearance from the Emory Healthcare Office of Observership Credentialing. This is a multi-step process that takes at least 4-5 weeks. The process includes the following steps (download a PDF with these instructions):
- Identify a physician willing to serve as your sponsoring healthcare provider (faculty mentor)
- Complete two required HIPPA courses online and save your Certificates of Completion. See the instructions for accessing these courses below.
- Complete and submit the Pre-Health Advising (PHA) Attestation Letter Application with which you will upload your two HIPPA Certificates of Completion. Please allow the PHA Pathways Center two weeks to process your application and verify your prerequisites.
- Follow the documentation of immunizations instructions to obtain all the necessary immunization documentation including a recent tuberculosis (TB) test.
- If all prerequisites have been met, you will receive an email with both your PHA Attestation Letter and a link to access the Emory Healthcare Observership Application. You must complete and submit this application along with the PHA Attestation Letter, your immunization documentation, and your TB test results. Please allow the Emory Healthcare Office of Observership Credentialing at least three weeks to process your complete application. You must submit all of the listed documentation at one time.
- If you submitted all required documentation and are approved by the Chief Medical Officer, you will receive an email from the Emory Healthcare Office of Observership Credentialing granting you clearance to begin your observership along with instructions for obtaining your security badge. Please note the security badge will cost $10. You CANNOT start shadowing within Emory Healthcare until you receive your official clearance email from the Emory Healthcare Office of Observership Credentialing and you have a security badge.
Instructions for Completing the Two Required HIPPA Training Courses
- Go to the Emory Self-Service portal and log in using your Emory NETID.
- Select the "Learning Management" tile from the Self-Service options.
- Select "Learning Management-Brainier." You will be able to access courses under the "My Learning" tab from your dashboard.
- Use the search box at the top of the screen to search by course name for each of these courses:
- HIPPA@Emory - Privacy
- HIPPA Security
- Follow the prompts to access each course.
- After taking the course and passing the quiz, download your Certificate of Completion and save it; you will need to upload both Certificates of Completion with your PHA Attestation Letter application.