Ask me anything: Vascular Interventional bound PGY5 radiology resident.

[Postictal Raiden]

Traditional is done by 2020. Next year is supposed to be the last year of one fellowship year class.

So what happens to current DR residents who went into residency thinking they'd pursue IR afterwards?

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[DrBowtie]

So from reading, I gather that there are 3 pathways to IR. 1) the direct pathway 2) the ESIR pathway and 3) the traditional pathway.

For someone who is primarily more interested in DR, but also likes to have IR as an option if he chooses to pursue after residency, will the traditional pathway still exist circa 2023? Or will it slowly phase out and IR becomes 100% seperate specialty?

The independent 2 yr "residency" option will still be ablvailable.

 

[badasshairday]

What's your take on Vascular Surgery, and do you find yourself competing with them a lot?

The history of both fields is intertwined and vascular surgery is a fantastic specialty. If i went to a med school without a high end IR program I may have went into vascular surgery. At my current institution we have a good working relationship with vascular surgery and have a weekly vascular conference with them. In fact 2 of the vascular surgery attendings have time in the IR suite 2 half days a week and work one on one with the IR fellows.

At other institutions there is a more adversarial relationship and competition for endovascular treatment of PAD (with cardiology also in the mix as of late). Alternatively at other places there is a fantastic relationship between the two departments.

 

[m3db01]

More lifestyle questions: You mentioned that as an attending you expect your schedule to be something like 7am to 6pm with q4 call. As the years wear on you, is it feasible to choose to work less, work part time, take less call, work in a more chill setting, etc? How does the IR lifestyle compare to vascular surgery in general? I love IR and am 100% applying to a mix of IR and DR programs. My motto has always been do what you love. However, I always get pushback from friends, family, s/o that the lifestyle is intense, and I feel like I need to do my due diligence of figuring out if I can handle the lifestyle. I feel like it has been really challenging to truly "experience" the lifestyle as an MS3/MS4 since we're in general mostly watching and not making critical decisions, doing procedures, etc...

Also: Do you think the option to either start a freestanding IR clinic or be hired by a freestanding IR group will be more feasible in the future?

Thanks for all your comments on this forum badasshairday!

 

[DrfluffyMD]

More lifestyle questions: You mentioned that as an attending you expect your schedule to be something like 7am to 6pm with q4 call. As the years wear on you, is it feasible to choose to work less, work part time, take less call, work in a more chill setting, etc? How does the IR lifestyle compare to vascular surgery in general? I love IR and am 100% applying to a mix of IR and DR programs. My motto has always been do what you love. However, I always get pushback from friends, family, s/o that the lifestyle is intense, and I feel like I need to do my due diligence of figuring out if I can handle the lifestyle. I feel like it has been really challenging to truly "experience" the lifestyle as an MS3/MS4 since we're in general mostly watching and not making critical decisions, doing procedures, etc...

Also: Do you think the option to either start a freestanding IR clinic or be hired by a freestanding IR group will be more feasible in the future?

Thanks for all your comments on this forum badasshairday!

You can have a more relaxed hours by practicing IR that are not as high end or transition into outpatient work.

As I tell my wife everyday, sure I get more hours of sleep than her, but right now I am dealing with the soul sucking dredry that is outpatient diagnostic radiology and I would exchange that for 15 hours of surgical service in a heart beat.

I thought I couldn't handle long hours as a student. Turned out you will enjoy a field you are passionate about more even if you have to work 10 or 20 hours more a week.