The Community IR

As an image-guided surgeon, or interventional radiologist (IR), I’m a doctor who’s passionate about the minimally invasive procedures. That’s because minimally invasive procedures can often serve as an alternative to surgery. I want everyone to have access to an IR when they need one. Unfortunately, IRs tend to cluster in major metros and academic centers, near where they trained. With many image-guided procedures becoming standard of care, it becomes harder for all communities, especially rural ones, to offer what have become standard therapies; many lack of consistent access to an interventional radiologist. In my view, the public would benefit from more interventional radiologists starting practices in the community. As a community IR myself, I’ve written about what it’s like to be an interventional radiologist in the community.

Burnout & the Interventional Radiologist

Also, physician burnout is a hot topic these days. I wonder if one of the antidotes to burnout in IR could be spreading out: starting and developing practices farther from where we train. Personally, I know how challenging and gratifying it is to uproot a family or a life to provide this service. Often, when moving out of cities, we can provide access to procedures no one else in the community can. Rather than competing with other interventional radiologists for the stimulating and demanding cases, my team gets them all. And we are valued and appreciated for it. 

Click here to read my full practice profile for IR Quarterly.

And if you’d like to learn more about the specific kinds of procedures IRs can perform in cases of trauma, check out the recording of a lecture I put together for the Western Interventional Next Gen Symposium (WINGS) in Los Angeles. You can watch my presentation on Trauma in the Community by clicking here.