Building a Skillset Outside of Training

In this episode, host Dr. Aaron Fritts and interventional radiologist Dr. Shamit Desai discuss resources and tips for IRs to continue building clinical and procedural skills beyond residency and fellowship training.

The doctors start by recognizing that every training program has specific focuses, which influence the skills that IRs have when they first emerge from the program. With the breadth of IR procedures available today, there are many service lines that are not addressed in formal training. However, Dr. Desai believes that any graduating IR has a foundation of proficient catheter skills and they have the potential to learn most image guided procedures.

Dr. Desai emphasizes that a big part of building a new skill set is having the support to learn the skills and let it flourish. He recounts his path to learning how to treat kyphoplasty and PAD and the integral role that IR mentors and device companies played in helping him develop knowledge and confidence. Dr. Desai also advises listeners to branch out into reading journals from other specialties. WIth PAD, he highly recommends learning from the Journal of Vascular Surgery (JVS), which can provide valuable perspective on clinical management. We also highlight national conferences that are tailored specifically to educate on certain procedures.

Additionally, Dr. Desai emphasizes that it is important for each IR to identify their true passion. Passion fuels the drive to learn as much as possible about a procedure, which leads to better outcomes for patients. It is also important to have clinical infrastructure in place before marketing the service line to patients and referrers, in order to create a quality patient experience.