IR Independent Pathway Residency Education

Training in Radiology

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We are proud to offer one position each year for this pathway through the NRMP match. Availability of the program will be assessed on a year-to-year basis depending on the existing trainee complement. IR Independent residents are expected to participate in all facets of patient care, including initial consultations, detailed patient evaluations, treatment planning, procedures, post-procedure care, and outpatient clinic follow-up.

IR Independent residents will rotate through 4 weekly ‘core’ rotations where they are assigned to procedural suites in the West (2 weeks) or East (1 week) campus , and a fourth ‘External’ rotation that includes time at a hospital-affiliated outpatient vein center (Mass Vein Care), staffing the IR clinic, performing cross-sectional procedures on the CT-guided Ablation service, and the outpatient Advanced Vascular Care (AVCare) outpatient dialysis access management center. During rotations at the main hospital, residents will be exposed to a wide range of complex vascular and non-vascular procedures, including performing arteriography for traumatic or acute bleeding, interventional oncology, advanced biliary interventions, uterine fibroid embolization, and advanced vascular access management, to name a few.

While on the East campus rotation, IR Independent residents will also interpret non-invasive vascular imaging studies under IR faculty supervision. The residents will rotate through the ICU for one month to become better acquainted with taking care of high-acuity patients. Each resident will also spend 1 month on the endovascular portion of the Vascular Surgery service, where they learn clinical evaluation and management of peripheral arterial disease, and participate in endovascular procedures including peripheral angiography and interventions, carotid artery stenting, and endovascular treatment of aortic aneurysms.

The training is rounded out by an 8-week IR rotation at Boston Children’s hospital to learn pediatric interventional radiology an participate in all aspects of patient management including taking pediatric IR call.

The IR Independent resident pathway comprises an in-depth educational curriculum where IR faculty provide specific case-based clinical and technical teaching during daily clinical teaching rounds. Residents will be allotted protected time to attend weekly didactic lectures and case conferences, and participate in activities on a range of topics. Residents are also expected to prepare a monthly morbidity and mortality conference and attend monthly evening lectures of the New England IR society by world-renowned IR faculty. Residents will also attend multidisciplinary conferences where IR faculty and other specialists make joint clinical treatment recommendations for patients.

IR Independent residents have opportunities to participate in ongoing IR research and can partner with a faculty mentor on specific projects. Note that the Department of Radiology requires all residents to complete a scholarly project during their training. The Section Chief and Program Director will work with IR Independent residents to identify potential projects.

Finally, IR Independent residents will receive regular feedback throughout their training. A multi-source 360 evaluation from other residents, nurses, technologists, and patients is also performed bi-annually. Residents are also expected to participate in QA/QI within the section through M&M conferences, and perform a QA/QI project.

Our Current Residents

About Boston

Boston is host to several regional and national medical conferences sponsored by Harvard Medical School as well as other medical schools and associations. The monthly New England Roentgen Ray Society meeting is a regional meeting for the six New England states and includes a special program for residents and fellows. The New England Society of Interventional Radiology also holds regular meetings, which provide a highly valuable educational experience.