Question About IR-DR Program Grudges Against DR Applicants:
Hi, Dr. Julius!
Thank you so much for creating such an excellent resource for students who are interested in Radiology as a profession. I am interested in applying to Interventional-Diagnostic Radiology (IR-DR) as my preferred specialty this Fall. I am still confused by applying to IR-DR and Diagnostic Radiology (DR) at the same time. To give some context, I currently live in the United States, and my husband is an Orthopedics resident who will complete his training in 2023. We have a young son, and so location is very high on my considerations as it pertains to different programs. I love IR and want to pursue an integrated residency. However, since you can still get into IR-DR from DR, location is more important to me than an integrated program.
I guess my real question is that specific DR programs will hold it against you that you applied to their attached IR-DR program and will not grant you an interview. Considering that the match rate for IR-DR is only around 50-60%, I cannot risk applying only IR, but will program A’s DR program still consider me if they know that I have sent applications to residency A’s IR-DR program as well? Thank you so much for your input!
Sincerely,
Future Interventionalist
Answer:
Dear Future Interventionalist,
According to my experience over the past few AUR meetings, unfortunately, some residency programs hold grudges against residents who apply to both DR and IR-DR programs. However, most don’t. For those that do, from what I gather, they will often take residents that apply to IR-DR programs if they believe that they are good anyway. So, I would not let that stop you from sending applications to both sorts of residencies simultaneously. As you have stated, IR-DR is competitive, and you are better off applying to both programs. DR programs still have a pathway to get into IR-DR. The numbers game makes it not worth your while to worry about individual programs’ grudges!
Good luck!
Barry Julius, MD
