Hospital/Imaging Centre and City: Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India.

Duration: 1 month observership followed by 6 months fellowship in Musculoskeletal radiology for International students.

Diagnostic exposure: Adequate exposure in cross sectional image reporting in the fellowship tenure. On an average, a fellow gets to report around 10 MSK CTs and 40-50 MSK MRIs daily, and 10-20 MSK USG and USG guided MSK procedures weekly.

Intervention and hands on exposure: Since it is a cross-sectional MSK fellowship, there is very less intervention and hands on exposure.

Academic activities and multidisciplinary meets: Regular lectures are given on normal and imaging anatomy and different pathologies, mostly focusing on joints, hand and foot. Fellows are also taken to orthopedic, pathology and radiology joint meetings, where lots of case discussions happen. Fellows are also expected to present in a few local and national/international level conferences and meet ups.

Duty hours and emergencies/on call duties: Minimum 10 hours per day for 6 days per week. This includes a minimum of 10 hours for research purposes per week. No emergency call duties for international fellows.

Fees, salary and leaves: Tuition fees is 3 lakh INR plus GST for the entire duration of the observership-fellowship, which is payable in person at the beginning of the period of observership. If the fellowship is not offered after this period for any specific reason, a refund of 50% of the amount is provided. If, however, the candidate discontinues after the fellowship period begins, he / she will be liable to receive a refund up to 2 months and only up to 30% of the amount. Beyond this period, no refund will be provided in case of discontinuity for any reason. International fellows do not receive any stipend for the period of observership or fellowship. A total of 5 days leave is provided during the tenure; for additional leaves one should provide valid reasons and get permission from the mentor.

Accommodation: Accommodation is not provided for the fellows.

Tips on how to secure the fellowship: To secure the fellowship one should have keen interest in MSK and basic theoretical and reporting knowledge of MSK to secure good marks in the entrance exam and interview. Entrance exam and interview mostly consists of MCQs and spotters followed by general online interaction between mentor, HOD and the applicant, but it is different every time, so there is no exact set pattern. MCQs and spotters can include anything related to MSK and during online interview applicants are enquired about their education, work background, interests and few MSK questions.

When do the interviews/exams happen (if applicable): For details regarding interview/exam please visit here

Examination: There is an exit examination at the end of the fellowship.

Pros and cons: For radiologists who want to master their reporting skills in MSK, it is a great opportunity with lots of case bulk and an amazing mentor. However, if you are more into Intervention, then this is not the MSK fellowship you are looking for.

Your personal experience at the fellowship: I had a great experience mastering my skills in MSK reporting. I gained a lot of confidence in the first 2-3 months. Our mentor made sure we got a lot of exposure and opportunity. I am very happy that I got to learn MSK from such a respected and huge institution where we can find a large case volume. It was worth paying for the fellowship because it boosted up my MSK reporting skills and now because of that I am working as Consultant MSK radiologist in the biggest trauma Hospital of Nepal. I would highly recommend this fellowship program to all the International Fellows who want to pursue cross sectional MSK reporting.

Any additional comments/ does it add value over MD /DNB degree: Yes it definitely adds value over MD/DNB degree.

– Dr Meghna Regmi, MD Radiology,  Past International MSK fellow, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India; Current Consultant MSK radiologist, B&B Hospital, Lalitpur, Nepal