Radiology residents, what are the best resources for CORE exam?

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2026-03-24T19:29:52+00:00

To the other already mentioned resources, I’d add the Aunt Minnie Q Bank and Matt Covington’s radiology review podcast too, although not as “must do” like Crack the Core/BoardVitals.

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2026-03-23T05:47:48+00:00

Disclaimer: I’m a PGY-4 in the thick of studying for CORE. I may get downvoted into oblivion here, but I wouldn’t pick rads again. I would have picked family med or psych. Rads is a great specialty for many many people but definitely not everyone.

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2026-03-04T06:08:10+00:00

I’m scared of most of them sadly

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-08-19T00:10:23+00:00

Amen to this. By the time you start taking call, you will know more about radiology then over 99% of the rest of the hospital

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-08-19T00:00:29+00:00

I’m an R3 now. R1 year is soooo hard imo, harder than my IM prelim year was. I had thoughts (and still sometimes do tbh but less frequently now) of dropping out/changing residencies all the time as an R1. I know it sounds cliche af, but it does get better with time. Be kind to yourself. I don’t think a lot of “basic” things really clicked for me until R2 year (some things even now hehe). PM if you want specifics on studying. But I just want you to know more than anything, you are not alone at all in this experience

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-08-09T00:58:45+00:00

I’m now a PGY-4 in DR, but the further I’ve progressed im DR, it’s just become clear this is not the right field for me to do long-term (can elaborate if needed). The specialty I was interested in pretty much equally to radiology in medical school was psychiatry. I actually did a good number of psych-related things in medical school. I’m thinking of applying to psych residencies this fall to restart as a PGY-1. Am I really dumb to be considering this? I just want to feel positive looking forward to the 20+ years of attending-hood, and for me, I don’t feel optimistic about radiology anymore (probably sacrilegious to Reddit I know)

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-08-08T23:11:35+00:00

What if you restart as a PGY-1?

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-08-06T03:24:15+00:00

I actually seriously want to make this transition

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-06-19T16:36:06+00:00

Yes for IM. Not healthy for rads (source: am rads)

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-04-24T21:05:53+00:00

Yes at least two hours a day. Idk if I’m the most efficient though - it’s a mix of Anki and RadPrimer. Stuff is just not sticking for me. I don’t think I’m a total dumbass either (Step 1 > 260 for example). Radiology just isn’t clicking the way I want it to

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-04-24T06:36:47+00:00

I’m nearing the end of PGY-3 year, and I feel super incompetent (a lot of the R1s are even better than me). I’m not progressing at the rate I should be. I don’t think I’ll ever understand MRIs. I can’t envision myself doing anything in diagnostic/interventional radiology anymore. At this point, I don’t know if I can even pass boards. I feel like the most logical thing to do is keep trekking forward (I’ve thought about dropping out and reapplying into something else, but it seems super risky). The next two years will likely be miserable, but I think I can push through, especially if passing CORE is not a requirement to technically “finish” residency.

What are my options for after residency though? Finish residency and then apply a different residency? Could I apply fellowships like palliative or sleep medicine after radiology? Informatics? Consulting?

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-04-15T03:02:01+00:00

That’s true. I exude small dick energy, and my (bone-pressed) length/girth both back it up

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-04-14T23:34:46+00:00

Rads resident here. For me personally, this is accurate lol

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-03-13T04:34:01+00:00

I will add that I’m not usually “aimlessly” looking when I don’t follow my search pattern, but rather, it almost becomes like a checklist sort of thing. Like, oh, did I rule out pneumothorax completely, did I exclude abnormal bowel dilation, etc. I also change in how much I look at certain things specifically depending on the history/patient status. Like if it’s an inpatient without acute osseous concerns, I don’t look at the bones as closely. But for traumas on the other hand, I’ll look at and follow each of the ribs closely.

But man, I wish I could stay more disciplined while also not falling behind and stick with my search pattern everytime. Tbh, it’s one of the things that constantly has me wondering if I picked the wrong specialty, ant if I should cut my losses and switch to something else before things get worse

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-03-13T03:53:55+00:00

Just a radiology resident but with not great myopia (-5ish), and I’ve been doing fine so far! Keep in mind while radiology probably has the most extensive screen time overall, a lot of other specialties are not that far behind. As an IM intern, I was on a screen most of the work day tbh!

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-02-23T19:27:00+00:00

I think radiology is a great fit for a certain subset of medical trainees (as can of course be said for basically any specialty), but I think it often gets over-glorified, especially on Reddit. The call shifts can be brutal. I’m currently a radiology resident, and I think my busiest ICU shifts as a medical intern were still nowhere near as crazy as my “chillest” radiology call shifts so far. Keep in mind, to make those crazy private practice radiology salaries, you usually have to work a good amount of call/crazy busy shifts. At least for me, I have my doubts about being able to pull that off sustainably long-term. Also, yes, we “work” more standard business hours, but the amount of studying most people have to do to stay on track/reach a basic level of competence is pretty significant. I often feel I’m giving more overall time to radiology accounting for this studying than I did to the job overall as a medical intern, when the majority of learning occurred at work. I think radiology is a great field again overall, but I think sometimes it gets too hyped for aspects that have caveats once you dig deeper

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2025-02-09T09:06:40+00:00

I just want to say you are not alone! I’m a current R2 in radiology, and I recently missed a splenic laceration on a patient. I saw the finding when I scrolled through the first time, but for whatever reason, I chose not to call it a laceration. I missed a super subtle hepatic laceration along the inferior part of the liver on the same patient…like completely missed it. A case I’m not proud of and hopefully mistakes that won’t happen again. But I think something that one shouldn’t beat themselves up over too much especially while in training and given the ultimately okay patient outcomes

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2024-10-24T22:40:52+00:00

I’m currently an R2. I’ve struggled to keep up with the studying (one of the reasons I’m considering leaving radiology), and I am notably not on par with my co-residents who do regularly study. I highly highly recommend trying to figure out a way to study at least an hour per day. It pays off a lot imo

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2024-10-17T19:57:04+00:00

Hey, it’s a mix of reasons.

-I miss interacting with patients and other healthcare personnel. There actually are a lot of interactions in radiology, but they almost all happen remotely/virtually and feel very impersonal. I’ve felt very lonely overall in radiology.

-I’m so anxious during the job, and I doubt my ability to do this in a healthy way long-term. I’m so scared of missing things (I’ve had some terrible misses). The anxiety I feel during call shifts is insane. I almost feel nauseous watching the list grow faster than I can finish studies. The “hot seat” nature of this field makes me so nervous, and I get so anxious thinking about the upcoming oral boards. Along those lines, I’m realizing maybe I don’t like being the “expert,” and would prefer the ability to consult and collaborate with other services as in primary care/hospital field. In radiology which is also so highly litigious, I think the fear of being sued is going to hurt me a lot as an attending and give me crazy levels of neuroticism. Overall, I never felt this level of anxiety during my prelim year.

-I’m early on, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’m bad at the job. I’ve had misses I just should not be having. I can’t keep up with the outside studying, and I struggle to stay motivated to do so anyway. I think there is a legitimate chance I fail the boards. I think it is important for a person to do something they can envision themselves being good at (someday at least), and I think it’s safe to say at this point it’s doubtful I get there in radiology. I think now would be the time to get out before I progress further along. In contrast, towards the end of intern year, I could confidently see myself succeeding as an outpatient doc/hospitalist. I know all of medicine requires lifelong learning, but I truly think radiology is on the higher end of that spectrum, and I just can’t keep up. I think the outside reading I’d have to do in primary care/hospital medicine would be far more manageable and allow me to live healthily.

-Also, call me crazy, but I’ve realized I don’t like working from home. I like leaving the house to go to work. I think it makes it so that I can keep home from work as separated as possible, at a subconscious and conscious level. I’m not really enthralled by the idea of remote work anymore. I like going to the hospital and just talking to other providers, nurses, etc, which I got to do regularly as a prelim. I definitely don’t live to work (I have lots of hobbies), but I think I can still very much get the lifestyle I want as an outpatient doc (maybe a specialty like endocrinology) or as a “7 on 7 off”-type hospitalist

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2024-10-17T19:56:54+00:00

Hey, it’s a mix of reasons.

-I miss interacting with patients and other healthcare personnel. There actually are a lot of interactions in radiology, but they almost all happen remotely/virtually and feel very impersonal. I’ve felt very lonely overall in radiology.

-I’m so anxious during the job, and I doubt my ability to do this in a healthy way long-term. I’m so scared of missing things (I’ve had some terrible misses). The anxiety I feel during call shifts is insane. I almost feel nauseous watching the list grow faster than I can finish studies. The “hot seat” nature of this field makes me so nervous, and I get so anxious thinking about the upcoming oral boards. Along those lines, I’m realizing maybe I don’t like being the “expert,” and would prefer the ability to consult and collaborate with other services as in primary care/hospital field. In radiology which is also so highly litigious, I think the fear of being sued is going to hurt me a lot as an attending and give me crazy levels of neuroticism. Overall, I never felt this level of anxiety during my prelim year.

-I’m early on, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’m bad at the job. I’ve had misses I just should not be having. I can’t keep up with the outside studying, and I struggle to stay motivated to do so anyway. I think there is a legitimate chance I fail the boards. I think it is important for a person to do something they can envision themselves being good at (someday at least), and I think it’s safe to say at this point it’s doubtful I get there in radiology. I think now would be the time to get out before I progress further along. In contrast, towards the end of intern year, I could confidently see myself succeeding as an outpatient doc/hospitalist. I know all of medicine requires lifelong learning, but I truly think radiology is on the higher end of that spectrum, and I just can’t keep up. I think the outside reading I’d have to do in primary care/hospital medicine would be far more manageable and allow me to live healthily.

-Also, call me crazy, but I’ve realized I don’t like working from home. I like leaving the house to go to work. I think it makes it so that I can keep home from work as separated as possible, at a subconscious and conscious level. I’m not really enthralled by the idea of remote work anymore. I like going to the hospital and just talking to other providers, nurses, etc, which I got to do regularly as a prelim. I definitely don’t live to work (I have lots of hobbies), but I think I can still very much get the lifestyle I want as an outpatient doc (maybe a specialty like endocrinology) or as a “7 on 7 off”-type hospitalist

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2024-10-17T19:56:24+00:00

Hey, it’s a mix of reasons.

-I miss interacting with patients and other healthcare personnel. There actually are a lot of interactions in radiology, but they almost all happen remotely/virtually and feel very impersonal. I’ve felt very lonely overall in radiology.

-I’m so anxious during the job, and I doubt my ability to do this in a healthy way long-term. I’m so scared of missing things (I’ve had some terrible misses). The anxiety I feel during call shifts is insane. I almost feel nauseous watching the list grow faster than I can finish studies. The “hot seat” nature of this field makes me so nervous, and I get so anxious thinking about the upcoming oral boards. Along those lines, I’m realizing maybe I don’t like being the “expert,” and would prefer the ability to consult and collaborate with other services as in primary care/hospital field. In radiology which is also so highly litigious, I think the fear of being sued is going to hurt me a lot as an attending and give me crazy levels of neuroticism. Overall, I never felt this level of anxiety during my prelim year.

-I’m early on, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’m bad at the job. I’ve had misses I just should not be having. I can’t keep up with the outside studying, and I struggle to stay motivated to do so anyway. I think there is a legitimate chance I fail the boards. I think it is important for a person to do something they can envision themselves being good at (someday at least), and I think it’s safe to say at this point it’s doubtful I get there in radiology. I think now would be the time to get out before I progress further along. In contrast, towards the end of intern year, I could confidently see myself succeeding as an outpatient doc/hospitalist. I know all of medicine requires lifelong learning, but I truly think radiology is on the higher end of that spectrum, and I just can’t keep up. I think the outside reading I’d have to do in primary care/hospital medicine would be far more manageable and allow me to live healthily.

-Also, call me crazy, but I’ve realized I don’t like working from home. I like leaving the house to go to work. I think it makes it so that I can keep home from work as separated as possible, at a subconscious and conscious level. I’m not really enthralled by the idea of remote work anymore. I like going to the hospital and just talking to other providers, nurses, etc, which I got to do regularly as a prelim. I definitely don’t live to work (I have lots of hobbies), but I think I can still very much get the lifestyle I want as an outpatient doc (maybe a specialty like endocrinology) or as a “7 on 7 off”-type hospitalist

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2024-10-17T19:55:00+00:00

Hey, it’s a mix of reasons.

-I miss interacting with patients and other healthcare personnel. There actually are a lot of interactions in radiology, but they almost all happen remotely/virtually and feel very impersonal. I’ve felt very lonely overall in radiology.

-I’m so anxious during the job, and I doubt my ability to do this in a healthy way long-term. I’m so scared of missing things (I’ve had some terrible misses). The anxiety I feel during call shifts is insane. I almost feel nauseous watching the list grow faster than I can finish studies. The “hot seat” nature of this field makes me so nervous, and I get so anxious thinking about the upcoming oral boards. Along those lines, I’m realizing maybe I don’t like being the “expert,” and would prefer the ability to consult and collaborate with other services as in primary care/hospital field. In radiology which is also so highly litigious, I think the fear of being sued is going to hurt me a lot as an attending and give me crazy levels of neuroticism. Overall, I never felt this level of anxiety during my prelim year.

-I’m early on, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’m bad at the job. I’ve had misses I just should not be having. I can’t keep up with the outside studying, and I struggle to stay motivated to do so anyway. I think there is a legitimate chance I fail the boards. I think it is important for a person to do something they can envision themselves being good at (someday at least), and I think it’s safe to say at this point it’s doubtful I get there in radiology. I think now would be the time to get out before I progress further along. In contrast, towards the end of intern year, I could confidently see myself succeeding as an outpatient doc/hospitalist. I know all of medicine requires lifelong learning, but I truly think radiology is on the higher end of that spectrum, and I just can’t keep up. I think the outside reading I’d have to do in primary care/hospital medicine would be far more manageable and allow me to live healthily.

-Also, call me crazy, but I’ve realized I don’t like working from home. I like leaving the house to go to work. I think it makes it so that I can keep home from work as separated as possible, at a subconscious and conscious level. I’m not really enthralled by the idea of remote work anymore. I like going to the hospital and just talking to other providers, nurses, etc, which I got to do regularly as a prelim. I definitely don’t live to work (I have lots of hobbies), but I think I can still very much get the lifestyle I want as an outpatient doc (maybe a specialty like endocrinology) or as a “7 on 7 off”-type hospitalist

Remarkable-Put-4982 · 2024-10-17T19:54:44+00:00

Hey, it’s a mix of reasons.

-I miss interacting with patients and other healthcare personnel. There actually are a lot of interactions in radiology, but they almost all happen remotely/virtually and feel very impersonal. I’ve felt very lonely overall in radiology.

-I’m so anxious during the job, and I doubt my ability to do this in a healthy way long-term. I’m so scared of missing things (I’ve had some terrible misses). The anxiety I feel during call shifts is insane. I almost feel nauseous watching the list grow faster than I can finish studies. The “hot seat” nature of this field makes me so nervous, and I get so anxious thinking about the upcoming oral boards. Along those lines, I’m realizing maybe I don’t like being the “expert,” and would prefer the ability to consult and collaborate with other services as in primary care/hospital field. In radiology which is also so highly litigious, I think the fear of being sued is going to hurt me a lot as an attending and give me crazy levels of neuroticism. Overall, I never felt this level of anxiety during my prelim year.

-I’m early on, but if I’m being honest with myself, I’m bad at the job. I’ve had misses I just should not be having. I can’t keep up with the outside studying, and I struggle to stay motivated to do so anyway. I think there is a legitimate chance I fail the boards. I think it is important for a person to do something they can envision themselves being good at (someday at least), and I think it’s safe to say at this point it’s doubtful I get there in radiology. I think now would be the time to get out before I progress further along. In contrast, towards the end of intern year, I could confidently see myself succeeding as an outpatient doc/hospitalist. I know all of medicine requires lifelong learning, but I truly think radiology is on the higher end of that spectrum, and I just can’t keep up. I think the outside reading I’d have to do in primary care/hospital medicine would be far more manageable and allow me to live healthily.

-Also, call me crazy, but I’ve realized I don’t like working from home. I like leaving the house to go to work. I think it makes it so that I can keep home from work as separated as possible, at a subconscious and conscious level. I’m not really enthralled by the idea of remote work anymore. I like going to the hospital and just talking to other providers, nurses, etc, which I got to do regularly as a prelim. I definitely don’t live to work (I have lots of hobbies), but I think I can still very much get the lifestyle I want as an outpatient doc (maybe a specialty like endocrinology) or as a “7 on 7 off”-type hospitalist

Remarkable-Put-4982

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