New Interventional Radiology/Diagnostic Radiology (IR/DR) Certifying Exam Process
By Cheri L. Canon, MD, ABR President, and John A. Kaufman, MD, MS, ABR President-elect
2025;18(2):5
The ABR announced last month that for interventional radiology residents completing training in June 2029, the Interventional Radiology/Diagnostic Radiology (IR/DR) Certifying Exam process will require a candidate to pass the Diagnostic Radiology (DR) Oral Exam and the IR Oral Exam.
In light of the ABR’s decision to return to an oral exam format for the DR Certifying Exam in 2028, we began seeking input and insight from IR stakeholders in May 2024 to determine whether an imbalance would be created once the new DR Oral Exam was implemented. Specifically, we wished to determine if the DR assessment, as part of the IR/DR certification process, would be adequately equivalent to that same DR assessment in the DR-only certification process. This comprehensive stakeholder input process was facilitated by a third party: Jennings Healthcare Marketing. The process focused on gathering feedback and perspectives through multiple channels as the precursor to considering possible process modifications.
Stakeholder input included three primary sources:
Individual Interviews. We started the input process by identifying several dozen leaders familiar with IR resident education, certification, and practice. Jennings facilitated these interviews.
Stakeholder Focus Groups. Given the large number of affiliated organizations in radiology, we focused on several key groups representing residents, program directors, department chairs, private practice, and community radiology perspectives.1 Jennings helped facilitate multiple structured feedback sessions with these organizations’ executive leadership. In addition, the organizations were encouraged to seek input from their constituencies.
Stakeholder Survey. We provided an opportunity for individual input and feedback through the publicly available IR/DR Initial Certification Feedback Survey, which was distributed through the ABR website, The Beam e-newsletter, and social media.
Internally, the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors discussed stakeholder opinions and concerns. According to Associate Executive Director for IR James Spies, MD, “recognizing that many interventional radiologists also practice diagnostic radiology, it was extremely important to maintain the high standard of the certification exam process.”
Board of Trustees Vice Chair for IR Anne Covey, MD, noted that the exam needed to reflect the rigor of the training and the high level of diagnostic ability that ABR-certified interventional radiologists are expected to possess. “Beyond the skills required for safe performance of complex procedures and provision of longitudinal care, IR/DR certification is indicative of extensive training and broad expertise in diagnostic imaging,” she said.
We appreciate the engagement and thoughtful discussions we had with so many people during this time of focused stakeholder input, including the response to the survey.
The exact timing of the DR Oral Exam and the IR Oral Exam is still being evaluated. We will provide an update later this year. The IR/DR Qualifying (Core) Exam’s content, format, and timing will remain unchanged. The IR Oral (Certifying) Exam will remain the same as well. There is no current plan to increase the fees for Initial Certification for either DR or IR/DR.
1Invited groups included leadership from the American College of Radiology (ACR), Women in Interventional Radiology (WIR), Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR), Association of Program Directors in Radiology (APDR), Association of Program Directors in Interventional Radiology (APDIR), Association of Chiefs in Interventional Radiology (ACIR), ABR IR/DR volunteer oral examiner panels, SIR Early Career Section, SIR Resident and Fellow Section, and the Residency Review Committee (RRC) of ACGME.
