Peoria’s Breast Imaging Fellowship prepared me well for good productivity in a high-volume breast imaging center. I am able to perform biopsies and localizations efficiently, and often find breast lesions my ultrasound technicians are unable to locate. More importantly, the fellowship taught me how to relate well to my patients, helping them navigate difficult diagnoses with hope (and a little humor). The attendings were excellent at giving me direction without dictating my every move, and allowed me to learn to perform procedures without undue interruption. A couple highlights were shadowing a breast surgeon (I wish I would have done this earlier in the fellowship!) and traveling to the SBI Breast Imaging Symposium with Dr. Trilikis. You will learn all you need to help patients through some of the toughest times they will ever face. Enjoy every second with the attendings I now consider friends!

I loved my fellowship training experience at the University of Illinois in Peoria. The faculty are outstanding and the learning environment is positive and collegial. The volume is high, allowing you to see a broad range of cases. In Peoria, there could be 4 MRI biopsies in a week vs. my current clinic where there is only 1 MRI biopsy every other month. You’ll learn all the skills you’ll need to be successful in your career and be an excellent breast imaging radiologist. I highly recommend the fellowship program at the University of Illinois in Peoria.

My fellowship year at the OSF St. Francis Breast Center in Peoria was a terrific experience. The attendings were all wonderful people and were dedicated to help me become a skilled and confident breast imager. The center is busy and cares for a diverse patient population. This allowed me to see a wide spectrum of breast pathology and perform hundreds of procedures. By the end of my fellowship year, I felt very comfortable entering practice and performing all of duties expected of an advanced breast imager.

My breast fellowship experience in Peoria was top notch. I was off-cycle as I did telerads for a few years before going back for fellowship to allow for my husband’s military career. When there was a last minute opening I jumped to fill the spot knowing very little about Peoria or the program. I feel very lucky to have landed there and I couldn’t be happier with my training. There was a great mix of staff personalities and styles to learn from which is important in training so you can figure out what works for you. The rest of the administrative, technologist and support staff were fantastic to work with as well. We were very surprised at how much we loved living in and exploring the Peoria area as well. After now having had 3 jobs at quite different practices (academic, private group and employee in a large hospital system) I can say there are strengths I saw in Peoria I haven’t always encountered elsewhere. Examples as follows:

• the surgeons were fantastic to learn from – experienced, helpful, and great with patients
• very high volume biopsy experience – including MRI
• ductogram experience – few rads can do this and as the only person in the last 2 of my 3 groups who was able and willing to do them – there is still utility in the technique
• doing own ultrasound scanning taught me so much and helped me adapt much more quickly to new technologists and equipment
• high volume and pace is excellent to prepare for post training work
• the nurse navigators / set up for biopsy results is the best I’ve seen of anywhere I’ve worked
• excellent discussion/participation/learning in tumor board
• monthly rad review of cases is incredibly beneficial