Educators in interventional radiology (IR) have been carefully planning for the IR residency since its approval in 2012 by the American Board of Medical Specialties as an independent field of residency training . Program directors and IR educators are currently hard at work creating exciting new educational opportunities in teaching, research, and patient care. One likely obstacle for the IR residency, however, will be its lack of formal exposure in the medical school curriculum, a problem that has plagued diagnostic radiology for decades. Studies have shown that medical students prefer meaningful contact with radiologists to help understand if the specialty is a good career fit for them . However, most medical schools in the United States do not offer their students a dedicated rotation in interventional radiology, creating a challenge for IR educators to provide them with adequate exposure to the field before their decision on a specialty .
As with other medical specialties, the ease with which program directors can recruit medical students into IR will likely be cyclical and dependent on multiple factors, including students’ perceptions of the field and the IR job market. Recruiting will always remain especially challenging for specialties like IR that do not have the luxury of a required clerkship in the medical student curriculum. Yet, adequate exposure to IR is essential for any medical student considering it as a career, for it is certainly among the most specialized of fields available to students through the National Resident Matching Program.
Students matching directly into IR without full knowledge of the responsibilities of patient care, workload, case mix, and complex team environment may be at increased risk of career dissatisfaction and ultimately of withdrawing from their training programs before graduation. Equally as concerning, students who may truly flourish in IR may never even have the opportunity to experience it if there is too little exposure in medical school. Even students who have no interest in IR as a career stand to benefit tremendously from learning firsthand how critically important it is to other medical specialties. Indeed, ensuring that students are adequately informed regarding a potential career in IR should be a top priority for IR residency educators.
As the number of accredited IR residency programs increases over the next several years, program directors will likely seek advice in how to effectively recruit students and provide them adequate exposure to the field before the match. Some IR programs have already begun devising novel ways to enable medical students to understand the complex IR environment. This paper outlines current best practices to ensure that students are adequately informed about IR before choosing it as a specialty.
IR Student Interest Groups
One important tool for optimizing student interest and exposure to IR is a robust interventional radiology student interest group (IRIG). Although certainly not a new concept for students looking to learn more about medical specialties, the presence of a student interest group specifically for IR may still be novel for many institutions. Student interest groups are vital low-stakes opportunities for students to learn about particular specialties, and for program directors to identify the number and the quality of local students who may be interested in their residency programs .
To be most effective, IRIGs require careful organization and investment of time from a departmental faculty liaison. IRIGs often coordinate many of the department-sponsored student activities such as IR student lectures, hands-on simulation experiences, resident panels, match advice meetings, and opportunities with department faculty regarding shadowing, research, and mentorship. IRIGs also offer students the opportunity to connect with the IR community on a larger scale. For example, the Society of Interventional Radiology’s Medical Student Council IRIG Committee offers support and resources to IRIGs throughout the country. Most IRIGs also offer students opportunities to strengthen their applications by holding leadership positions within their student-run executive committees.
IR Subinternships
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
IR Medical Student Symposia
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Society of Interventional Radiology Resources
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Integration of IR into the Medical School Curriculum
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Conclusion
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
Acknowledgment
Get Radiology Tree app to read full this article<
References
1. Kaufman J.A.: The interventional radiology/diagnostic radiology certificate and interventional radiology residency. Radiology 2014; 273: pp. 318-321.
2. Visscher K.L., Nassrallah G., Faden L., et. al.: The exposure dilemma: qualitative study of medical student opinions and perceptions of radiology. Can Assoc Radiol J 2015; 66: pp. 291-297.
3. Branstetter B.F., Faix L.E., Humphrey A.L., et. al.: Preclinical medical student training in radiology: the effect of early exposure. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2007; 188: pp. W9-W14.
4. Lee A.M., Lee M.J.: Teaching IR to medical students: a call to action. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol 2018; 41: pp. 203-205.
5. Fricke B.B., Gunderman R.B.: Creating and enhancing radiology student interest groups. Acad Radiol 2010; 17: pp. 1567-1569.
6. Kattapuram T.M., Sheth R.A., Ganguli S., et. al.: Interventional radiology symposium for medical students: raising awareness, understanding, and interest. J Am Coll Radiol 2015; 12: pp. 968-971.
7. Alexander E.M., Machan J.T., Ahn S.H.: Early introduction of IR to premedical and medical students: initiatives at a single US institution. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2015; 26: pp. 439-442.
8. Resident, Fellow, and Medical Student Section of the Society of Interventional Radiology : Available at: http://rfs.sirweb.org/
9. DePietro D.M., Kiefer R.M., Redmond J.W., et. al.: Increasing medical student exposure to IR through integration of IR into the gross anatomy course. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2017; 28: pp. 1455-1460.
10. Commander C.W., Pabon-Ramos W.M., Isaacson A.J., et. al.: Assessing medical students’ knowledge of IR at two American medical schools. J Vasc Interv Radiol 2014; 25: pp. 1801-1806.