Vascular and Interventional Radiology Training; International Perspectives and Challenges

Abstract

Purpose: Assess international interventional radiology (IR) training standards and trainee satisfaction to identify challenges and drive positive change.

Materials and methods: An anonymous survey was created using Survey Monkey and distributed as a single-use web link via eight IR national and international societies around the world. It consisted of two parts: the first assessed the general exposure of radiology trainees to IR and whether this influenced their decision to pursue a career in IR; the second focussed on satisfaction and quality of training by those who are in training or have recently completed an IR training program.

Results: There were 496 participants of which 274 were eligible to complete part one of the survey and 222 were eligible to complete the whole survey. UK and Europe contributed 52% of the responses. The USA and Middle East contributed 23%, and the rest of the world 9%. Over half of responders expressed that exposure early in their career was the main inspiration to pursue a career in IR. Overall satisfaction with training was high across all regions; however, satisfaction regarding vascular training varied. The negative impact of competition from other specialities ranged from 9% (USA) to 61% (UK). Great variability was reported regarding the amount of time spent dedicated to IR and IR on call.

Conclusion: Despite significant progress in creating structured and comprehensive IR training, there is still room for improvement. Early promotion of IR is essential for on-going high-quality recruitment. Monitoring and standardization of the training environment at a national and international level are necessary to equip IR trainees and to consolidate IR's speciality status in the medical field.

Keywords: Interventional radiology; Residency; Training.