Residents provide after-hours radiology coverage for both the University of New Mexico Hospital and the New Mexico VA Healthcare System. As the state's only Level-1 trauma center, UNMH is staffed by an in-house radiologist at all times. Residents provide after hours coverage for the VA medical center from home with a departmental cellular phone and respond to the hospital only for weekend morning read-out sessions and when requested by referring clinical services. Residents are always supported by a team of on-call faculty members (general radiology, neuroradiology, and interventional radiology) who are available for telephone or in-person consultation if necessary.
On-call duties permit the residents to develop a sense of independence and self-confidence. By being afforded the responsibility of managing a busy radiology department at a regional trauma center, residents quickly develop the ability to prioritize the workload and learn the skills necessary to rapidly and accurately interpret the large volume of radiologic examinations that are required in private practice. Strong relationships are built with the referring clinical services.
The amount of overnight call taken by residents at UNM is nearly identical to the national average. Our current call-schedule is listed below. The number of on-call shifts will vary depending on the number of residents in each class and the total number of residents in the program.
| Year | Description | Shifts | Frequency (average) |
| PGY1 | UNMH evening/weekend in-house | 60 | q 5 days x 10 mo. |
| PGY2 | UNMH overnight/weekend call float | 73 | q 5 days x 12 mo. night float system = 1 week - q 5 weeks |
| PGY3 | VAMC home-call (Sep-Jul) UNMH in-house call (Jul) UNMH eve/weekend in-house (Aug) |
25 7 6 |
q 13 days x 10 mo. q 5 days x 1 mo. q 5 days x 1 mo. |
| PGY4 | VAMC evening/weekend home-call | 31 | q 13 days x 12 mo. |
| PGY5 | VAMC evening/weekend home-call | 16 | q 13 days x 6 mo. |
On-call responsibilities are divided by year:
First-Year - After two months of training, first-year residents begin assisting upper level residents with on-call responsibilities. Evening call begins on September 1, with first-year residents rotating weekdays (from 4:30 PM until ~10:00 PM, or earlier at the discretion of the upper-level resident) and weekend days (from 8:00 AM until ~6:00 PM) at UNMH. Depending on the number of residents per class, call averages one shift per 4-6 days for junior residents. Duties include interpreting emergency department radiographs, rounding on interventional radiology in-house patients, and performing emergent fluoroscopy exams.
Second-Year - Second-year residents take in-house call overnight in a call float pool at UNMH on July 1. They are initially accompanied by third-year residents, who stay in-house overnight during July, and assist during the evening hours during August. Second-year residents supervise first-year residents once they begin taking call. Second-year residents are responsible for preliminary interpretation of exams from all imaging modalities such as conventional radiographs, CT, ultrasound, MRI, and nuclear medicine. Preliminary interpretations are reviewed with faculty the following morning.
Third Year - After providing back-up support to new second-year residents during the months of June and July, third-year residents graduate to taking home-call for the VA medical center with the fourth and fifth year classes.
Fourth Year - Fourth-year residents take home-call with the third- and fifth-year classes for the VA medical center throughout the year.
Fifth Year - Fifth-year residents take home-call for the VA medical center until January 1, when they are released from call responsibilities for the remainder of the residency to allow time for preparation for oral board exams.
Experienced residents are given the opportunity to earn additional income by performing additional specialty on-call duties:
Interventional Call - Third-, fourth-, and fifth-year residents are given the opportunity to voluntarily cover interventional call shifts during weeks that are not covered by fellows. Residents receive generous additional financial compensation for these duties.
Neuroradiology Call - Residents of any class that have gained proficiency in neuroradiology are given the opportunity to assist faculty neuroradiologists on weekend and holiday morning readouts. These morning readout sessions are conducted under direct faculty supervision and last from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Residents receive generous additional financial compensation for these duties.
