Kara Fitzgerald, M.D.- IR Chief Resident

Integrated IR

Medical School: University of Washington
Undergraduate School: Lewis Clark State College
Intern Program: Providence Sacred Heart (Spokane Teaching Health Center), Spokane, WA - Transitional Year
Looking For In Residency: I was focusing on finding a program that fostered a supportive environment, had engaging faculty that functioned as mentors, provided a diverse array of cases and one that had good procedural experience in addition to the IR rotations. I wanted to be part mid sized cohort so I had peers around to learn from and with. And I wanted a strong DR program to build the knowledge base and confidence before starting the IR years.
UW Strengths: Essentially, just as listed above. UW has great IR and DR training. There is international medicine, trauma and underserved population cases at Harborview; there are always interesting ‘zebra' cases referred to Seattle Children’s Hospital and the UW Medical Center; and then the VA and Northwest provide more ‘bread-and-butter’ cases. The program includes robust interventional oncology experience, neurointervention rotations, trauma, pediatrics, PAD and dialysis work — a many research opportunities to boot. I feel it is a perfect mix of educational opportunity and supportive environment fostered by the dedicated faculty.
Advice: I loved interview season. It was so fun to learn about the different programs and meet future colleagues. I think it is important to have some reflection before the interview process to focus on what is important to you. Is it close access to fishing? (I had a friend who considered this strongly.) Is it a small/large cohort? Is it a private practice environment? Is it location? Is it supportive learning environment? Is it research? There are many strong training programs across the country and you will probably attend a few interviews that just feel right. Chances are, you would be happy and excel at more than just one institute. A good friend (not in medicine) always says ‘do what feels right’ — I think that can be applied to this situation. Residency is a pretty serious commitment, I think it is wise to join the program that you feel matches best with your personality, learning objectives, geographic needs and personal values. Also, the interview process (and residency!) is a marathon, not a sprint — attitude is everything. You will meet many future colleagues through the process, which is so fun... don’t forget to enjoy it :)
Hobbies: Skiing (alpine mostly, touring and XC), mountain biking, fly fishing, being with friends.
Clinical Interests: IR, quality improvement, physician coaching, and premed education and mentorship.
Extracurricular: Women in Radiology