A method for operating a Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging system includes generating radio frequency (RF) excitation pulses in patient anatomy to provide subsequent acquisition of associated RF echo data and generating slice select magnetic field gradients for phase encoding and readout RF data acquisition in the patient anatomy. The method also includes acquiring a plurality of slices of an image within a plurality of cycles, each of the plurality of slices being acquired within each of the plurality of cycles and causing, by a control processor, a RF signal generator and a gradient generator to change an order that each of the plurality of slices is acquired between consecutive cycles of the plurality of cycles.