Interventional Radiology – Independent Residency

Welcome to the Interventional Radiology Residency at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University! In our residencies, we strive to provide an immersive and collegial learning environment that fosters professional and personal growth. Thank you for your interest in our program.

History and Mission

As one of the first Interventional Radiology Residency programs in the country, Brown IR continues to be a leader in IR education. Brown IR is an established division with a rich history in IR leadership and education. Our mission is to help you reach your maximum potential as future Interventional Radiologists by promoting clinical care, comprehensive training, strong diagnostic radiology training, and resident autonomy. Both Integrated and Independent IR residencies are available.

Multi-Disciplinary Care

Brown IR is an integral part of multi-disciplinary care. We are a major participant of numerous multi-disciplinary clinical programs including interventional oncology, pulmonary embolism rescue team, arterio-venous and lymphatic malformation clinic, and portal hypertension program. Brown IR residents play an active role in concert with faculty.

What is a Typical Day for an IR Resident

The official day for the IR resident begins at 8AM with morning report. Prior to morning report, the IR resident is responsible for preparing for the day’s cases; reviewing of prior night’s call cases, and evaluation of the IR service patients. This usually means around 6:30AM. Procedures begin at 8:30AM and continue to about 6PM. The day’s work comprises of scheduled elective procedures and emergent and inpatient consults and procedures. With more procedure rooms than the number of IR residents on service, there is more than enough volume for a well-rounded and hands-on experience. At the end of the day, there is read-out of the day’s procedures. This is an excellent learning opportunity for residents. The day ends with dictation of all procedures, rounds on the admitted patients, and preparation for the next day. The call resident is responsible for the IR service and any emergent consults and procedures at Rhode Island and Miriam Hospitals. IR call is a home call that averages out to between every 3 to 4 days.

IR Clinic

IR clinic is an integral part of the IR resident training.  Outpatient IR clinic is located directly on RIH campus facilitating resident participation and has office hours Monday through Thursday.  A separate and dedicated Interventional oncology clinic is also on RIH campus and has office hours Monday through Thursday.  The IR resident’s role is to actively participate in patient assessment, formulation of a plan, and longitudinal follow-up care with appropriate supervision by the faculty.  All elective referrals are evaluated as consultations in either IR or IO clinic.

IR Training Sites and Equipment

Why I Chose Brown IR

“Brown offers a strong and well rounded IR training experience which allows graduates to enter practice with an expansive skillset, including Neuro IR. Additionally, the attendings, nurses, techs, and ancillary staff have all cultivated an environment in which trainees can thrive professionally, intellectually, and personally.” – Rylee Olewinski, PGY- 6 IR Independent Resident

“At Brown, you learn the full spectrum of IR. The opportunity to master technical procedural expertise from head to toe is a given but you will also acquire the knowledge and skills to be an invaluable clinical consultant with expertise from pre-procedural evaluation through post-procedure care and follow up. The Brown training program is strongly resident-driven and offers motivated residents the chance to take a leading role in patient care and maximize learning in an extremely rewarding environment.” – Justin McCool, PGY-6 IR Independent Resident

What are the educational resources and conferences?

Residents have access to numerous on-line self-study materials such as StatDX, RadPrimer and Clinical Key and e-anatomy. In addition, for those who prefer hard copy reading, the department maintains a collection of textbooks. Each resident is also provided a book fund that can be used for educational materials or courses.  IR residents in the PGY 6 and PGY 7 years have paid access to individualized access to IR Essentials which is a 2 year IR curriculum sponsored by the SIR.

There are several dedicated IR conferences.  There is a once a week IR conference dedicated to IR resident which is a combination of didactic lectures and case-based presentations on basic to complex IR topics.  This lecture series is designed to be comprehensive and run on a one-year cycle.  IR Morbidity and mortality conferences occur every month and run by the IR chief resident.  Journal club meets once a month.  Interesting IR case conference, which is an informal show and tell type of conference, meets once every 3 months and is a chance for everyone to share their experiences.

Grand Rounds is held once a month during the academic year.  A visiting professor speaks to the entire department at noon time and also gives a separate educational conference to the residents in the morning or afternoon. In addition to Grand Rounds, there are several department wide conferences held each month, including QA and peer review conferences and conferences with didactic components for the entire department. Subspecialty Interesting case conferences are held weekly covering body, emergency,  neuro, VIR, MSK and women’s imaging. 

Residents participate in interdepartmental conferences such as AV malformation conference, and tumor boards, developing required skills of teaching and working in teams. Through active participation in multidisciplinary and departmental conferences, residents will learn how to be a valuable member of the larger health care team in providing appropriate, cost‐effective patient care.

Residents have ample opportunity to teach Brown medical students both on service and in formal instruction. Interested residents have the opportunity to provide prepared lectures to medical students and to first year residents.

Moonlighting opportunities?

Moonlighting: There are multiple opportunities for moonlighting for those who are interested. These are completely voluntary and not all residents choose to participate.

Contrast coverage is available in the evenings and on weekends at outpatient radiology offices. First and second year IR residents can moonlight to provide preliminary interpretations at The Miriam Hospital.

What are the call responsibilities?

IR Call

During the PGY 6 and 7 years, IR call is one week of home call every three week to every 4 weeks.  On IR call, the resident is responsible for the IR inpatient service, consults, and procedures, along with the IR faculty on call.

Salary and Benefits

Radiology residents are employees of Rhode Island Hospital.

Rhode Island Hospital offers a competitive salary and benefits package to all of its House Staff. Stipends are reviewed annually and recommendations are made by the Graduate Medical Education Committee.

As of July 2022:

How to Apply

All residency applications are to be submitted through ERAS and must include the following:

• Dean’s Letter
• Medical school transcript
• At least 3 Letters of Recommendation
• Personal Statement
• USMLE Scores

After reviewing all applications, the Selection Committee will grant and conduct the interviews and subsequent ranking of applicants. Decisions regarding selection for interview and rank order are made without regard to the applicant’s race, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender expression, and sexual orientation), age, or national origin.

Eligibility Criteria

Medical Training:

Applicant must be a graduate from one of the following

• Medical school in the U.S. and Canada accredited by LCME
• College of osteopathic medicine in the U.S. accredited by AOA
• International medical school and has a valid ECFMG certificate or a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in RI
• International medical school and completed a Fifth Pathway program by an LCME-accredited medical school

USMLE:

Successful completion of USMLE step I and II examinations is required.  There are no cutoffs on scores or attempts.

Residency:

Must be in good standing in current DR residency and anticipated successful completion of DR residency.  Both ESIR qualified and non-ESIR applicants may apply.  The program does NOT have a preference and all applicants will be holistically reviewed.  ESIR qualified resident applicants must meet the ESIR requirements as delineated by the ACGME program requirements and must at a minimum have 500 patient procedure encounters and obtain a letter from current DR program director.

Other Employment Criteria:

In order to be eligible for employment at Rhode Island hospital, the resident must be eligible for licensure in the state of Rhode Island.  All residents must comply with the hospital’s Tobacco-Free policy.  The use of tobacco products at any time is prohibited.

Visas Accepted for International Applicants:

International applicants should obtain a J1 Visa, sponsored by the ECFMG.ﾠ Rhode Island Hospital’s Training Program Liaison works with applicants and the ECFMG to obtain the visa. Rhode Island Hospital will sponsor an initial H1B visa only if the applicant is a graduate of a U.S. Medical School. We will also accept H1B transfers.

Contact Us

Jill Eastman
Residency Program Coordinator
jeastman3@lifespan.org