What Do Interventional Radiology Program Directors Recommend for Internship Year?

Purpose: Residents who completed a surgical preliminary year felt better prepared for interventional radiology (IR) than those who completed an internal medicine or transitional year. Of the medical students who considered surgery for their preliminary year, 92% said that having a recommended list of programs would help streamline their decision. In September 2019, a formal list was published to the Society of Interventional Radiology resident-fellow section with recommended surgical training programs for medical students to consider. The question remains if IR program directors recommend a surgical preliminary year compared with other options.

Materials and Methods: A survey distributed to program directors in IR included a comparative evaluation of residents who have completed one of the three major types of internships (surgery, internal medicine, transitional year). Medical knowledge, competency during consultation, procedural skills, and overall ability were quantified. Overall program director preference of internship and opinion on mandating a specific internship were also asked.

Results: From the various symposia, conferences, and meetings, 83% of the polled IR program directors so far have answered that they favor completing a surgical internship over the other options. The remaining 17% were indifferent to internship. All IR program directors answered that residents who have completed a surgical internship were far ahead of their peers in procedural skills and ability in the angiography suite. The current survey being distributed to IR includes 85 programs will offer a comprehensive analysis.

Conclusions: With the increase in IR competitiveness and the need for early mastering of basic procedural skills, the preliminary year has become increasingly more important. We hope to elucidate further if program directors from across the country agree on completing a specific internship. Because important rotations such as surgical and vascular ICU exposure is a requirement from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education guidelines, residents may benefit from earlier exposure. If surgery is indeed the most beneficial internship for IR training, further discussion on standardization is warranted.