Below is a summary of the benefits afforded residents in the Penn Radiology Residency Program.
Academic Time
Each week, residents with good conference attendance get one half day of academic time for research and a broad range of other scholarly pursuits as part of the program's mission to foster a culture of intellectual curiosity and robust academic activities.
AIRP Program
The Department pays tuition for the rotation at AIRP (American Institute for Radiologic Pathology).This rotation is offered virtually.
Commuting
Many trainees choose to live in the city as it is convenient to walk, bike, or use public transit to travel to our campuses. Penn Medicine offers affordable transit and regional rail options through the Septa Key Advantage pass, available to all house staff. For those who live in the suburbs and/or need to drive, parking is available at a monthly rate, at a local area university parking garage. If elected, reciprocal parking is available at all our downtown rotation sites. A “nights and weekends only” parking option is also available at a one-time charge that is returned when the trainee returns their parking card.
Computers
The Department provides each first-year resident with a home read workstation, with dual monitors and dictation equipment.
Conference Travel
Residents whose research is accepted for presentation at an academic conference will have their conference attendance funded by the program. Reimbursements include transportation, hotel, and meal allowance for up to $2,000 per conference. Residents may attend multiple conferences if their work is accepted for presentation. Last year, 34 residents in the program were supported to present at 35 meetings. The 17 residents in the graduating class of 2023 were supported to present at 82 meetings over the course of their four or five years in the program!
In addition, residents with >70% morning conference attendance will be funded to attend one meeting in their third or fourth year, regardless of whether research will be presented.
Education and Professional Funds
Residents receive an annual allowance of $1,500/year, which may be spent on educational and professionally related items such as books or electronic educational materials, including online subscriptions, purchases of apps for mobile and portable devices, ABR Fees, board fees, etc. The educational funds may also be applied toward the purchase of an iPad, Kindle, smartphone or other electronic device. Residents use their personal cell phone during training which is supplemented in their education funds.
The department also offers an array of additional funding for residents, including wellness events, a meal stipend, licensing, physics and imaging informatics courses, end of block social events and snacks, and access to RadPrimer, STATdx and Case Stacks. The residency program also covers malpractice insurance for the duration of training.
Family Leave
The Penn program offers up to 12 weeks of leave of absence, consistent with the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), for maternity/paternity or medical leave. The department will cover up to six weeks of paid leave to support residents during this time. Additional time away can be supplemented by vacation or personal time..
In addition, the University of Pennsylvania has three Penn affiliated childcare centers on or near campus including the Penn Children's Center - University of Pennsylvania which is just blocks away from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. A variety of other childcare centers and schools are in close proximity to the hospital and available to fit the individual needs of each family.
Health Benefits
Comprehensive health insurance is provided for residents, their spouses/domestic partners, and dependent children. Residents participate in a long-term disability plan and life insurance. Benefits options are accessible on our HR&You website. The cost of the health insurance is mostly paid by HUP with the resident responsible for the remainder.
HTBAR (How to Be an Academic Radiologist) Program
As part of the Penn Residency program's tradition of nurturing and developing the next generation of academic radiologists, the residency program has developed a two-week program for first-year residents specifically entitled "How to Be an Academic Radiologist" or HTBAR. The program is geared toward preparing residents to conduct collaborative and independent research and to help them become academic leaders in the field of radiology.
HTBAR is designed as two one-week blocks, the first week taking place in the month of January and the second in the month of May. Each week includes guest speakers from within and outside of the Penn community, workshops on research methods, mentorship and leadership, and discussions of the numerous career opportunities in radiology, among other related activities. Residents are excused from their rotation responsibilities for each of the two weeks in order to participate.
Lead
Residents are provided with one custom-fit, designer lead that can be taken with them at the end of the residency.
Moonlighting
Residents in the Penn program also have the opportunity to participate in after-hours MRI moonlighting at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and Penn Medicine at Radnor, starting in their second year of the radiology residency. Additional moonlighting is available on weekends and some weekdays in satellite locations in Valley Forge, Bucks County and Chester County Hospital. Radiology residents in the Penn program, including first-year residents, can elect to participate in the Aunt Minnie Case-of-the-Day Program, which provides a unique opportunity to create educational web-based cases.
Penn Library and Facilities Access
Penn residents have access to Penn Libraries and library resources including online databases, electronic journals, multimedia and hard copy resources with borrowing privileges.
Penn residents can purchase a Penn gym membership which provides access to the University of Pennsylvania gyms and recreational facilities including the David Pottruck Health & Fitness Center, Hutchinson Gym, Robert A. Fox Fitness Center, and Sheerr Pool. The fitness centers offer a variety of fitness and wellness program including group exercise, spinning, personal training, instructional classes in dance, yoga, golf, swimming and other activities, as well as access to the Pottruck climbing wall. In addition, massage therapy and other health and wellness services are available on an appointment basis. More information: https://recreation.upenn.edu
Vacation
All residents receive 20 days of vacation and five personal days each year. Residents can request to take vacation at the time of their choosing, including a guaranteed week off during one of the winter holidays, if desired. Attendance to present at academic conferences does not utilize vacation days.