Abdominal radiology in the era of the Interventional Radiology/Diagnostic Radiology certificate

Excerpt

The introduction of the Interventional Radiology/Diagnostic Radiology (IR/DR) certificate and the IR Residency in Radiology is an important advance in radiology education. Among many benefits, the new residency will further the integration of non-procedural-based patient care into radiology practices. In so doing, we hope that academic radiology departments will work toward providing infrastructure for out-patient clinics, hospital admitting privileges, and 24/7 coverage. In our view, the IR/DR Residency will promote the development of these infrastructure needs in radiology departments that currently do not provide them. However, with the dawn of the IR Residency, many questions have arisen regarding its impact on radiology practice, particularly those who sub-specialize in abdominal radiology. One question is how should academic radiology departments be organized in the future? This question has existed for many years, and is typically answered based on local factors. The new IR/DR certificate does not dictate how radiology departments should be organized, but how a department is organized may ultimately influence how IR will be practiced. Therefore, the creation of the new certificate is an opportunity to revisit the issue. …