Training the Radiologists of the Future at Affidea Hungary

The shortage of health professionals in radiology is a well-known problem of our time. Affidea Hungary places great emphasis on finding and training the specialists of the future. In Hungary, there are both state-funded and privately reimbursed professional radiology courses available. The state-funded professional training programme can accept an annually specified, limited number of applicants. The training centres must apply for these state-funded training positions yearly. In the case of a successful application, the government will reimburse the training centre for both the employment and the professional training of their chosen applicant.  

At Affidea Hungary, they have recently decided to go one step further. Under the “Invest in Youth” project, they now employ and provide professional training for a further six trainees, above the state-funded framework, each year. Affidea Hungary makes a training contract with these future radiologists and reimburses their training fee to the state. The first Radiology Specialist among them is expected to graduate in the second half of 2023.   

Affidea Hungary public DI centers are accredited for the postgraduate training of junior doctors and trainees for the Radiology Specialist Degree by the Semmelweis University Budapest Radiology Department. 

The accreditation to become a training centre has strict and well-defined professional, personal and technical requirements, and has to be renewed every 4 years. It is therefore an honour and a mark of the quality of the centres and the trust placed in them by the professional body. Affidea Trauma-Péterfy centre has full accreditation for radiology training, while the other centres have partial accreditation, corresponding to the modalities they have. This provides radiology juniors and trainees with a unique opportunity to learn and gain extensive professional experience for their professional exams at a variety of sites and specialities.  

The duration of Radiology Specialist training in Hungary is 60 months. The course is divided into two parts. In the first 24 months, besides their basic radiology training, the trainees take part in compulsory core training and clinical practice. The core training concludes with an exam organised by Semmelweis University. This is followed by a 36-month internship covering all modalities, supported by tutors. After completing and certifying this, the radiology trainees can be nominated for their speciality exam. In Affidea’s system, the team have introduced an internally organised practical exam on X-ray and Ultrasound modalities after the first 12-18 months and, prior to the speciality exams, our trainees participate in an internal practical exam on the CT and MRI modalities as well.     

“We are proud that many medical students apply each year to work for Affidea and gain their professional qualifications in our institutions. We currently have 11 juniors and trainees. In 2021 we had 15 new applicants for our 2 radiology junior positions. The selection process was completed with face-to-face interviews of the applicants by Dr Éva Papp, Medical Director of our Trauma-Péterfy centre and Dr István Horváth, Medical Director of MÁV-Margit-Nyírő Centres,” commented Dr Gábor Volford, Educational Coordinator for Affidea Hungary. 

The Affidea Trauma-Péterfy site has received state recognition as an Educational Centre of Excellence in Hungary. There are consistently more applicants than available positions amongst external trainees, who are not employed by Affidea, but who want to spend part of their training period in our centre. An average of 30 trainees per year are accepted for their trauma X-ray and CT practice in our institution. The radiology specialists and trainees, under the guidance of Dr Volford, also provide graduate traumatology radiology training as part of the Semmelweis University medical training for Hungarian, English and German speaking students. 

Affidea Hungary CMD Dr Lilla Kardos commented: “I am extremely proud of our educational initiatives and the recognition we have received for them – not only from the highest professional authorities, but also from the students themselves, who want to learn the best methods from top professionals, with the most modern technology - all available at our centres.”