Do you want to know how to become an interventional radiologist? Are you interested in a medical career that provides not only advanced patient care but also offers unique opportunities for exciting procedures and a chance to be on the cutting edge of modern medicine?
If so, an interventional radiologist career may be the perfect choice for you. In this blog post, I will explain what an interventional radiologist does and how to become one, even if you’re only in high school.
Summary:
- Interventional radiologists specialize in minimally invasive, image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat a wide range of medical conditions
- Interventional radiology is a sub-specialty of diagnostic radiology, which is a five years residency training, followed by a two-year fellowship in interventional radiology.
- Going to a top medical school may help a bit. However, how you do on your USMLEs (Board) scores and in your med school class ranking will matter more
- Non-PhD degrees like MBAs and MPHs appear to have no advantage to becoming an interventional radiologist (and maybe a slight disadvantage)
Table of Contents
What Are Interventional Radiologists?
Interventional radiologists specialize in minimally invasive, image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat a wide range of medical conditions. They use various imaging techniques, such as X-ray, MRI, and ultrasound, to guide their procedures and deliver treatment directly to the targeted area.
Interventional radiologists perform a variety of procedures, such as angiography, embolization, biopsy, and drainage. Some common conditions that may be treated by interventional radiologists include cancer, peripheral artery disease, and varicose veins.
Interventional radiology has become an increasingly important field of medicine as advances in technology allowed for more precise and effective treatment options with minimal impact on the patient’s body. Interventional radiologists now perform a large number of procedures that used to require surgery on an outpatient basis with the benefit of reduced pain, risk, and recovery time.
Is an Interventional Radiologist a Doctor?
Are interventional radiologists doctors? The answer to this question is yes; interventional radiologists are doctors.
An interventional radiologist is a specialized physician who has completed medical school, a five-year residency in diagnostic radiology, and a two years fellowship in interventional radiology. During this time, interventional radiologists train to perform procedures to manage different medical conditions.
How Long Does It Take To Become an Interventional Radiologist?
Becoming an interventional radiologist is no easy feat and requires considerable time and energy. But if you’re up to the challenge, the results can be gratifying.
It takes at least 15 years after high school to become an interventional radiologist. That includes four years of undergraduate education, four years of medical school, four years of diagnostic radiology residency, and two years of fellowship in interventional radiology. Along the way, you’ll have to take various standardized exams, including the SAT, the MCAT, and the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK.
Undergraduate (4 Years)
The first step to becoming an interventional radiologist is entering and completing an undergraduate program. This means taking the SATs and doing well enough to be accepted into a college or university. Once accepted into an undergraduate program, you’ll have to complete a minimum of four years of academic coursework. This includes classes in biology, chemistry, physics, English, and other general education courses.
Medical School (4 Years)
The next step is to take the MCAT, a standardized exam that measures your knowledge and skills in biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology. You’ll need to score well on the MCAT for med school acceptance.
You’ll have to complete four years of academic and clinical training during medical school. This includes classes in anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, and other medical topics. You’ll also have to complete clinical rotations at hospitals and other healthcare facilities to gain hands-on experience.
Diagnostic Radiology Residency (5 Years)
After you’ve completed medical school, you’ll have to match into a diagnostic radiology residency. To do this, you’ll have to take the USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK exams. These exams measure your knowledge and skills in the areas of clinical medicine. Once you’ve passed these exams, you’ll be eligible to apply for residency.
Once you’ve matched into a diagnostic radiology residency, you’ll have to complete five years of clinical training to become a diagnostic radiologist. During this training period, you’ll learn how to interpret medical images, diagnose conditions and create treatment plans.
Interventional Radiology Fellowship (2 Years)
After completing your diagnostic radiology residency, you must complete an interventional radiology fellowship for another two years. During this time, you’ll learn how to perform minimally invasive, image-guided procedures to diagnose and treat a wide range of medical conditions. You will gain an in-depth understanding of the field of interventional radiology in addition to performing interventional procedures.
After Interventional Radiology Fellowship: Licensing + Board Certification
Upon completing your fellowship, you’ll be able to take the boarding exam administered by the American Board of Radiology. While passing the interventional radiology boards is voluntary, many employers will see this as important – or even necessary – for you to be employed as an interventional radiologist.
Becoming an interventional radiologist takes a minimum of 15 years after high school. It’s a long and arduous process, but if you’re dedicated and passionate about becoming an interventional radiologist, the rewards are worth it.
How Competitive is it to Become an Interventional Radiologist?
Interventional radiology is one of the more competitive specialties in matching into a residency program. Each year, thousands of hopeful medical school graduates apply for a limited number of positions in their preferred specialty. The Match system, run by the National Resident Match Program (NRMP), pairs applicants with training programs based on their preferences.
But how competitive is interventional radiology in the US? To answer this question, it is important to look at the unmatched rates of US seniors by specialty. The unmatched rate refers to the percentage of US seniors who applied for a residency program in that specialty but did not get matched. It considers each applicant’s first-choice specialty. So, if you applied to a different specialty as a “backup” but didn’t match because you matched in your first choice, this wouldn’t be included. To learn more about how to maximize your chances at a dream residency through “The Match,” see this article.
In the 2022 Match, graduating US medical school seniors attending MD schools had an 18.6% unmatched rate to interventional radiology. This makes it one of the more competitive specialties, although not of the same competitiveness as specialties like plastic surgery (unmatched % 37.3%), orthopedic surgery (34.2%), or otolaryngology (sometimes called “ENT” for ear-nose-throat; 30.8%).
For more on the competitiveness of interventional radiology relative to other medical specialties, see this article.
Interventional Radiologist Annual Compensation
Interventional radiologists have an average annual salary of $437,000. However, this can vary dramatically based on practice setting, specialty training, and experience level.
Interventional Radiologists make $437,000 per year on average
How Much Do Interventional Radiologists Make an Hour?
You may also be wondering, how much do interventional radiologists make per hour? And how is the balance between time inside vs. outside the hospital for the specialty?
While there aren’t perfect data, we’ve compiled data re: hours/weeks worked and annual salary for various specialties.
Here are the data:
| Average Annual Salary | Average Hourly Salary | On-Call Schedule | Hours/Week | Avg Weeks Worked/Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allergy/Immunology | $298,000.00 | $125.93 | 49.3 | ||
| Anesthesiology | $405,000.00 | $146.24 | Medium | 61 | 45.4 |
| Cardiology | $490,000.00 | $177.54 | 57.5 | ||
| Critical Care | $369,000.00 | $114.91 | 66.9 | ||
| Dermatology | $438,000.00 | $211.11 | Low | 45.4 | 45.7 |
| Diagnostic Radiology | $437,000.00 | $170.46 | Low | 58 | 44.2 |
| Emergency Medicine | $373,000.00 | $169.59 | Medium | 46.4 | 47.4 |
| Endocrinology | $257,000.00 | $110.40 | Medium | 48.5 | |
| Family Medicine | $255,000.00 | $101.85 | Medium | 52.6 | 47.6 |
| Gastroenterology | $453,000.00 | $168.53 | Medium | 56 | 47.7 |
| General Surgery | $402,000.00 | $141.88 | High | 59.4 | 47.7 |
| Infectious Diseases | $260,000.00 | $101.44 | High | 53.4 | |
| Internal Medicine | $264,000.00 | $100.81 | Medium | 54.9 | 47.7 |
| Interventional Radiology | $437,000.00 | ||||
| Nephrology | $329,000.00 | $122.40 | Medium | 56 | |
| Neurological Surgery (Assistant Prof. Median) | $600,500.00 | $214.96 | Medium | 58.2 | |
| Neurology | $301,000.00 | $129.09 | Medium | 50.8 | 45.9 |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | $336,000.00 | $123.26 | Medium | 58 | 47 |
| Oncology | $411,000.00 | $143.43 | Low | 59.7 | |
| Opthalmology | $417,000.00 | $173.97 | Medium | 51 | 47 |
| Orthopaedic Surgery | $557,000.00 | $207.91 | Medium | 57 | 47 |
| Otolaryngology | $469,000.00 | $184.01 | High | 53.1 | 48 |
| Pathology | $334,000.00 | $147.74 | Low | 47.1 | |
| Pediatrics | $244,000.00 | $108.16 | Medium | 47 | 48 |
| Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation | $322,000.00 | $147.76 | 45.4 | ||
| Plastic Surgery | $576,000.00 | $230.77 | Medium | 52 | |
| Psychiatry | $287,000.00 | $131.04 | Low | 46.5 | 47.1 |
| Pulmonary Med | $353,000.00 | $119.77 | Medium | 61.4 | |
| Radiation Oncology (Assistant Prof. Median) | $393,734.00 | $158.36 | Low | 51.8 | |
| Rheumatology | $289,000.00 | $112.33 | 53.6 | ||
| Urology | $461,000.00 | $172.49 | High | 58.1 | 46 |
| Total Average | $381,233.35 | $147.44 | 53.9 |
And the estimated physician salary per hour by specialty (diagnostic radiology highlighted in red):
Diagnostic Radiologists make $170 an hour on average
Note: when data were unavailable for weeks worked per year, 48 weeks was used as an estimate to calculate the estimated hourly salary.
Getting AOA (Med School Honors) Helps in Becoming an Interventional Radiologist
Medical school is one of the most challenging aspects of becoming a doctor. Many medical schools have established Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) branches to recognize top students’ hard work and dedication.
Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) is the medical school honors society for students who excel in their studies and demonstrate an exemplary commitment to professionalism and leadership. Each medical school may elect up to 20% of their graduating class to be inducted into AOA.
Induction into AOA is a prestigious honor that carries with it a variety of benefits. AOA members may be eligible for special scholarships and fellowships and can often receive priority consideration for residency positions.
The AOA advantage is particularly notable for the most competitive fields and/or residency programs. The 2022 Match data showed that the match rate for US medical school seniors with AOA membership was 17% greater than that of US seniors without AOA membership in interventional radiology. In other words, AOA membership provided a moderate advantage to matching into interventional radiology.
AOA membership correlated with a 17% match rate advantage for Interventional Radiology in the 2022 Match
See this article for more on AOA medical schools and the importance of class rank for matching.
Do You Need to Attend a Top School to Become an Interventional Radiologist?
When pursuing a career in interventional radiology, attending a top medical school can make a difference in matching into your desired specialty. According to a survey of program directors, over half of those surveyed reported considering applicants’ med school reputation when considering whom to interview, giving it an importance score of 3.9 out of 5.
Moreover, graduating from a school in the top 40 for NIH funding is associated with a 14% increase in the likelihood of matching into interventional radiology as a field. This is potentially because top medical schools have more resources and access to clinical experience, which can help prepare students for the rigors of the specialty.
That said, it is important to remember that the name of the school alone does not guarantee success in any field. While attending a top medical school may have advantages, it is ultimately up to the individual to make the most of the opportunities presented. And while there is an advantage to being from a more prestigious institution, one’s record at the school will matter much more, including things like USMLE scores, class rank, and letters of recommendation.
Graduating from a medical school ranked in the top 40 by NIH funding correlated with a 14% match rate advantage for Interventional Radiology in the 2022 Match
Does an MPH or MBA Help You Become an Interventional Radiologist?
Medical training is long and arduous. Remarkably, many students consider completing other degrees before, after, or even while pursuing their medical studies. Degrees such as Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) may seem attractive to potential interventional radiology applicants due to their additional qualifications. But do these additional degrees give applicants an edge in the residency application process?
The truth is that having an additional degree may not matter as much as one thinks. We crunched the numbers on the match rate for graduating students from MD schools for those with non-PhD other degrees vs. those that did not have a second degree. In interventional radiology, the match rate was 4% lower for those with degrees like an MPH or MBA. This implies that having a second degree that isn’t a Ph.D. doesn’t appear to help your chances of matching into interventional radiology and may even hurt them (slightly).
Having another degree like an MBA or MPH correlated with a -4% match rate disadvantage for Interventional Radiology in the 2022 Match
It’s important to note that this study only looked at the overall match rates of medical students with another degree. The data doesn’t look at the type of degree, the school it was obtained from, and the quality of the applicant’s experience and credentials.
Having a second degree could open up some additional career opportunities. For instance, having an MPH or MBA may prove beneficial for those looking to go into healthcare administration or research.
Concluding Thoughts
Becoming an interventional radiologist is a challenging but rewarding career path. It is perfect for those who love anatomy, procedures, problem-solving, and working as part of a team in intense situations. With hard work, dedication, and a desire to help others, interventional radiologists can make a real difference in the world of healthcare.
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