The IR Trainee Workforce 10 Years after Becoming a Primary Medical Specialty

The recognition of interventional radiology (IR) as a primary medical specialty and the subsequent development of IR residency programs initiated a new wave of development in the field. The shift from recruiting from the pool of diagnostic radiology residents to the pool of medical students offered a new opportunity to evolve the composition of the IR workforce. After a decade of specialty status, the composition of IR's workforce and pipeline shows progress in its reflection of national demographical changes. Increasing diversification of practitioners in IR is an aggressive growth strategy, which is necessary to serve a diversifying population. Increasing the diversity of the IR workforce offers the potential to promote access to and utilization of IR and improve the quality of care. Cultivating a more diverse workforce utilizes untapped potential critical to the continued growth of IR.