The senior radiology clerkship. Disparate goals of students and faculty

A survey of medical students taking our radiology elective over the past five years revealed that 51% were chiefly interested in learning "to read x-rays." Other motivations for taking the elective, such as learning "radiographic workups" were relatively low-priority goals. On the other hand, a survey of our staff revealed a low priority placed on teaching medical students to interpret radiographic images and a high value placed on imparting an understanding of the role of radiology in clinical diagnosis and management. This disparity between the goals of the students and teachers delineates one of the major challenges in designing a radiology curriculum for medical schools.