Independent IR Residency
Thank you for your interest in the Independent Interventional Radiology Residency Program at the University of Washington.
About the Program
The traditional Vascular and Interventional Radiology (VIR) Fellowship sunset on June 30, 2020. All ACGME approved IR training programs in the US are now required to offer 2 years of training to fulfill the training requirement for IR. The Independent IR Residency replaced the traditional VIR Fellowship as of July 1, 2020.
The University of Washington received approval by the ACGME for the Independent IR residency in 2018. Graduates from the program will be eligible to apply for certification in IR. We currently have approval for three yearly positions in the Independent IR Residency.
Diagnostic Radiology residents currently in their PGY4 year (ESIR or Non-ESIR) are eligible to apply for the Independent IR residency. If you are a medical student interested in the Integrated IR Residency, please follow the hyperlink to the page dedicated to that program.
Please see the How To Apply – Independent IR Residency and How To Apply – Integrated IR Residency pages for further details about the application process.
Further details about the Independent IR Residency can be found on SIR’s website:
https://www.sirweb.org/learning-center/ir-residency/independent-ir-residency/
IR at the University of Washington
Interventional Radiology (IR) represents one of the most dynamic and exciting fields in medicine today. Major surgical procedures, many of them having significant perioperative morbidity and mortality, have now been replaced by minimally invasive interventional procedures that can often be performed on an outpatient basis.
The Interventional Radiology service at the University of Washington and associated hospitals perform a full spectrum of vascular and nonvascular procedures in both adult and pediatric populations. Included among these are diagnostic angiography, percutaneous angioplasty and stenting, embolization therapy, percutaneous tumor ablative therapies, thrombolysis, gastrointestinal/biliary interventions, genitourinary interventions, transplant interventions, dialysis fistula/graft evaluation and treatment, drainage and/or sclerosis, venous ablation, and vascular access. We have a very large volume of oncology work at the University Hospital and are very active in both chemoembolization and radioembolization, as well as, percutaneous ablative therapies such as radiofrequency and microwave ablation, cryoablation, ethanol ablation, and irreversible electroporation (IRE)/nanoknife. Trainees will also have exposure to peripheral vascular interventions at our Veteran’s Hospital where we have a high volume and a collaborative relationship including shared clinic with the vascular surgeons. Our county hospital, Harborview, is the only level one trauma center for the surrounding 5-state region and there is a large volume of emergent solid organ and pelvic embolization from trauma. Trainees also participate in a one-month rotation at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
The entire section is an active clinical service, with several outpatient clinics, and an inpatient service with active participation by all IR trainees, physician assistants, and nurse coordinators. The overall goal of the training program is to merge imaging expertise with not only technical skills, but also clinical skills. Trainees will be involved in all aspects of patient care including image interpretation, evaluation of new patients, procedures, inpatient and outpatient care, patient follow-up, and will also be given opportunities to be involved in research and participate in multidisciplinary boards (such as tumor boards).
Procedural Training Offered
- Interventional Oncology including Y-90 radiotherapy, hepatic artery embolization, radiofrequency and microwave ablation, cryoablation, percutaneous ethanol injection, IRE
- Peripheral arterial interventions including angioplasty and stents for claudication and limb salvage
- Arterial and venous thrombolysis
- TIPS
- Trauma interventions
- Biliary interventions including cholecystostomy tubes, biliary tract drainage, biliary dilation and stenting
- Genitourinary interventions, nephrostomy and nephroureteral catheters
- Hemodialysis access interventions
- Transplant intervention
- Venous access, including ports and tunneled venous access devices
- IVC filters
- Abscess drains
- Pleural drains
- Cyst sclerosis
- Uterine artery embolization
- Prostate artery embolization
- Lymphangiography and thoracic duct embolization
- Treatment of vascular anomalies
- Venous interventions and recanalization
Please see here for an example case procedure log by a recent IR fellow.
Other Features
- Outstanding clinical experience with rotations at four major hospitals in the Seattle area, including the University of Washington Medical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Harborview Medical Center (Level 1 Trauma), and Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Sites participate in a morning conference via video to discuss interesting and/or difficult cases
- Participation in Mortality and Morbidity Conference
- Journal Club
- Dedicated outpatient clinic experience for general IR, oncology, and peripheral vascular disease
- Opportunities to participate in clinical and/or laboratory research
