Curriculum and Rotation

Curriculum
The 21-month clinical-based internship curriculum provides students with clinical education that includes instruction and experience in a variety of radiographic procedures, examinations and equipment operation. Didactic courses are divided into seven quarters. Distance and hybrid courses are included in the curriculum. There may be an additional fee associated with each. Clinical rotations are assigned in an equitable manner at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the program's clinical affiliate sites.

Fall Quarter, year 1
Introduction to Radiography & Medical Imaging
Patient Care in Medical Imaging
Radiographic Procedures I
Imaging Principles I
Radiography Clinical I

Winter Quarter, year 1
Radiographic Procedures II
Fluoroscopic Procedures I
Imaging Principles II
Radiography Clinical II

Spring Quarter, year 1
Radiographic Procedures III
Fluoroscopic Procedures II
Imaging Modalities & Equipment
Radiation Biology & Protection
Radiography Clinical III 

Summer Quarter, year 1
Radiographic Procedures IV
Introduction CT & Cross-Sectional Anatomy*
Radiation Physics
Radiography Clinical IV
 
Fall Quarter, year 2
Radiographic Procedures V
Medical Law & Ethics
Operational Issues in the Healthcare Environment
Radiography Clinical V

Winter Quarter, year 2
Radiographic Pathology*
ARRT Review (begins)*
Radiography Clinical VI

Spring Quarter, year 2
ARRT Review continues*
Radiography Clinical VII

Note: Final course sequence may be subject to change.

*Hybrid format (online and classroom)

Advanced Placement and Radiography Transfer Credit
The radiography program sponsored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital neither offers "advanced placement" status for those who have previously completed an educational program nor accepts transfer credits for any radiography-specific coursework completed elsewhere.

For information on programs offering advanced placement, visit the website for American Registry of Radiologic Technologists at www.arrt.org.

Program Grading Scale for all Didactic and Clinical Courses
The following grading scale is used:

A: 94-100%
B: 84-93.9%
C: 77-83.9%
D: 65-76.9%
below 65% 

Requirements
Our goal is to graduate a professional that will understand the concepts of radiography and be able to competently function as an entry-level radiographer. The school will issue a certificate of completion to a student, only if ALL of the following are successfully completed:

1. Didactic courses with a grade of C (77 percent final course average) or higher
   
2. Clinical rotations with a grade of C (77 percent final course average) or higher
   
3. All required General Patient Care and Procedural Competencies
4. All clinical hours
5. Tuition and fees paid
6. Return all hospital-issued scrub sets assigned to personal scrub code at NMH and other clinical affiliates

Program Hours
​The program is scheduled for eight hours a day, five days per week. Students will be required to complete an evening clinical rotation (trauma radiography) during the second year of the program lasting approximately three weeks. Hours for this evening rotation will be from 2:00 pm to 10:30 pm. In accordance with Accreditation Standards of the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT), students are not permitted to invest more than 40 hours per week, or 10 hours per day, in total program activities (classes, labs, and clinical rotations).

Clinical Rotations 
Clinical rotations begin the third week of the program and continue throughout enrollment. All students will rotate through various imaging areas at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Medicine River North Immediate Care Clinic, Northwestern Medicine Lakeview Immediate Care Clinic, Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago Medical Center, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and Lurie Outpatient Center (Lincoln Park), and Central DuPage Hospital. Students are responsible for their own transportation to and from clinical assignments.