Resident Core Curriculum

How to use this

This is a backbone, not a syllabus to finish in a week. Work through a domain at a time — ideally aligned with your rotations — reading the anchor pages, then branch into the rest of that chapter. Each domain below lists the highest-yield starting points; the full chapter (in the left navigation) holds the depth. Test yourself with Study mode as you go, and keep the High-yield toggle on for review passes.

Foundations — how the signal is made

Read first; everything else assumes it.

• Physics of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Interactions with Matter — decay, emissions, LET.
• Radiation Detection & Instrumentation and PET & SPECT Performance & Reconstruction — how images are formed.
• Radiopharmaceuticals & Production — agents, generators, targets.

Cardiovascular

• Nuclear Cardiology — Overview → Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (SPECT) → Myocardial Viability (FDG PET) → Cardiac Amyloidosis.

Oncology

• FDG PET/CT in Oncology → FDG-PET Preparation & Physiologic Uptake → Lymphoma Staging — Lugano/Deauville. Then branch into the tumor-specific pages.

Endocrine & Neuroendocrine

• Differentiated Thyroid Cancer + Radioiodine — Thyroid → Parathyroid Imaging → Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Genitourinary

• Renal Scintigraphy + Tc-99m-MAG3 → PSMA PET agents.

Pulmonary

• V/Q Scan & Pulmonary Embolism — the classic, plus its decision logic in PE Imaging — Which Test When.

Musculoskeletal

• Bone Scintigraphy → Skeletal Metastases — Imaging.

Neurology

• Brain FDG & Dementia Imaging → I-123-Ioflupane (DaTscan) → Parkinsonism — FDG Metabolic Patterns.

Infection & Inflammation

• Infection & Inflammation Imaging → Labeled Leukocyte Scintigraphy → Osteomyelitis & the Diabetic Foot.

Gastrointestinal

• Cholescintigraphy (HIDA) → GI Bleeding & Meckel → Gastric Emptying.

Therapy & theranostics

• Theranostics — Overview → ¹⁷⁷Lu-PSMA-617 + ¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE → Differentiated Thyroid Cancer — I-131 Therapy → Radionuclide Therapy — Eligibility & Toxicity Monitoring.

Safety, quality & call

Non-negotiable for practice and the exam.

• Radiation Safety & Patient Release and Pregnancy & Lactation in Nuclear Medicine.
• Protocoling & Appropriate Use and On-Call & STAT Nuclear Medicine — the practical craft.

When you're consolidating

Switch to the Board Blitz — High-Yield Sprint for the patterns, thresholds, and trials, and drill everything in Study mode.