Hospital and City: All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur

Duration: 1 year duration

Number of seats: 2 seats every year. Exam usually take place in the July-August period every year.

Diagnostic exposure: The department is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. There are two dual energy 128 slice CT scanners, two 3T MRI scanners, Hologic Systems Mammography and Tomosynthesis, and Bard Vacuum assisted biopsy machine. There are many high-end USG machines, few of which are compatible with contrast enhanced ultrasound, shear wave, strain elastography, and volume probes (3D, 4D imaging).

During the tenure, there are monthly rotations amongst various postings. In general, CT posting is for 2-3 months, MRI for 2-3 months, USG posting for 4-5 months which includes fetal imaging, breast and gynaecological USGs, and sonomammography posting for 2-3 months. Approximately 120-130 CT studies, 60-80 MRI studies, 10-15 Mammograms, 40 to 45 obstetric scans are performed everyday. You will have the opportunity to learn and read fetal MRI scans to learn the correlation between both ultrasound and MRI. Fellow is expected to do all obstetric, gynaecology and breast imaging related work and some general radiology work also in each posting. Fellows are expected to report all sub-speciality cases (which constitute approx. 40-50% of cases) in their respective postings, while focussing particularly on their own subspecialties. Cases written by junior residents are also to be checked by fellows or senior residents before being finalized by consultants.

Intervention and hands on exposure: There is limited hands-on exposure to general non-vascular interventions like pigtail insertions, CT guided biopsies, liver abscess drainage, USG guided FNAC’s etc except for all breast interventions. There is no dedicated posting for OBG and breast interventions, and majority of the procedures are done by DM intervention residents. However, fellows are encouraged by consultants to perform breast interventions with routine posting work. On an average approximately 4 to 5 USG guided breast interventions like biopsies, hook-wire and marker clip placement are performed daily. Stereotactic procedures are approx. 2-3 per month. No hands-on vascular interventions are done by Women’s imaging fellows; however observation of procedures is encouraged by the consultants.

Academic activities and multi-disciplinary meets: Weekly seminars are conducted every Monday morning, apart from journal clubs and interesting cases discussion two times a week. AIIMS Jodhpur fosters a culture of academic excellence, with opportunities for research, publishing papers and presenting at national and international conferences. Regular clinical discussions and case reviews ensure that fellows are prepared to handle the complexities of women’s imaging and develop confidence in interpreting complex cases. Case discussions are initially held with the fellow by the obstetrics and gynaecology team before being reviewed by the consultant. Fellows conduct and attend many multi-disciplinary inter departmental meets (MDTs) with departments of Obstetrics, gynecological oncology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, Surgical oncology, and pathology. Various challenging and intriguing cases are discussed during MDT meetings, where we engage in discussions on diagnosis, differential diagnosis, resectability, further investigations, management, and follow-up of previously discussed MDT cases.

Duty hours and emergencies/on call duties: Official duty hours are from 9am to 5pm. You however have to be in the department till 8-9 pm or may be after that for academic work and for completing reporting, especially in CT and MRI postings.

There are 2-3 call duties (24 hour) per month along with one JR on call to be done by the fellow.

Fees, salary and leaves: Fees 50,000 INR (one time). There is a two-lakh bond which has to be paid to the institute if you leave the course mid-way.

Salary – approximately 1,25,000 INR including HRA.

Leaves – 24 casual leaves are given to fellows in an academic year.

Accommodation provided or not: Accommodation is provided on the basis of availability; married candidates are preferred. If you live in the AIIMS campus hostel, HRA of ~12,000 INR will be deducted from the salary per month. Accommodation is not an issue even if hostel rooms are not available, with many furnished flats/PG’s are available within 2-3 km radius of AIIMS.

Tips on how to secure the fellowship: Notifications for entrance examinations and eligibility are put on the AIIMS Jodhpur website – https://www.aiimsjodhpur.edu.in/courses.php.

The entrance exam is a two-step process. The first step comprises of a written MCQ based test of 80 marks which is followed by a viva/interview (20 marks). Total 80 questions are asked in written MCQ exam, with almost 50% questions from obstetrics, breast and gynecological imaging and 50% from general radiology. The MCQ books which were helpful to me were Grainger and Allison MCQ and Get through final FRCR part A MCQ books.

When do the interviews/exams happen: Exam occurs in the month of July/ August every year. MCQ exam and interview usually occur on the same day. Written exam takes place in morning (duration 1.5 hours), following which the exam result is displayed and candidates are shortlisted for an interview in ratio of 1:6 as per vacancy. The final result is displayed on the AIIMS, Jodhpur official site after approximately 15 days of the exam.

Pros and cons:

Pros-   The foremost pro about doing Women’s imaging fellowship is that it includes a thorough exposure to fetal, breast and gynecological imaging which covers a major chunk of the radiology in a day-to-day practice. Expertise in these subspecialities give me an extra edge over a general radiologist. Hands on exposure in USG guided and stereotactic guided breast interventions is available. While doing this fellowship you also do some general radiology reporting so one remains in touch with the other subspecialities also. You get a valuable opportunity to learn from experts in other subspecialties as well, which is excellent for the overall development of a radiologist. The working environment at the institute is both supportive and motivating, pushing you to improve even in areas where you’re already proficient. The faculty members are pioneers in their fields and are exceptional educators. Difficult cases and interdepartmental discussions are thoroughly explored with them, making every day a valuable learning experience. In addition to earning an additional qualification, you also gain a year of teaching experience as a senior resident in an esteemed educational institution.

Cons-  Fellowship is primarily focused on diagnostics, with no exposure to CT guided, vascular and fetal intervention procedures and limited exposure to MRI guided breast interventions and VABB. In addition to the subspecialty fellowship work, each fellow is also required to handle general reporting and emergency night duties. 

Your personal experience at the fellowship: My experience at AIIMS Jodhpur has been transformative. I initially came with the intention of simply earning an additional degree, but I’ve left with a newfound passion for learning medicine. Working at such a renowned institution has been eye-opening, as it made me realize the true value of a radiologist’s work. It’s not just about financial gain; it’s about taking the right approach prospectively, making an accurate diagnosis, navigating complex cases, and experiencing the rewarding rush when your diagnosis contributes and leads to a patient’s recovery. During this mentorship programme, direct supervision of all difficult clinical cases leads to personalized learning and enhances our ability to diagnose and manage complex cases above and beyond what is taught during residency programmes.

Any additional comments/ does it add value over MD /DNB degree: My fellowship at AIIMS Jodhpur has greatly enhanced my CV leading to a competitive edge. The knowledge I gained every day from consultants, colleagues, and juniors during my time there has been priceless, deepening my knowledge, skills and has a lasting impact on my daily practice. I’ve grown into a more proficient diagnostic radiologist, gained valuable experience in Women’s imaging and developed a stronger understanding of the clinical side of radiology.

– Dr Shikha Bhatia

MBBS, MD, Post-doctoral Fellow Women’s Imaging (AIIMS Jodhpur)

You can contact me for further information on my email id : docshikha92@gmail.com