Various pathways to Interventional Radiology

[shadowfox87]

I know that there are multiple pathways to get to this field, but this information seems a bit scattered across the web. Please correct me if I'm wrong but this what I know so far:

1. Radiology (5 years)->Diagnostic Radiology (1 year)->Interventional Radiology (1-2 years) = 7-8 years
2. Neurology (4 years)->Stroke/Vascular neurology (1 year)->Diagnostic Neuroradiology (6 months-1 year)->Internvetional Neurorads (1-2 years) = 7-8 years
3. Neurosurgery (6 years)->Diagnostic Neuroradiology (1 year)->Interventional Neurorads (1-2 years) = 8-9 years
4. General Surgery (?)-->??-->INR/IR
5. IM (?)-->??-->INR/IR

Are there any other pathways that converge to IR? Also, can someone please elaborate on the "??" above as I cannot find a clear-cut pathway anywhere, there has to be some sort of intermediate step, otherwise everyone would just opt. for the less competitive residencies and then enter INR, so what is this intermediate step?

Can some of you share your own pathways that led you to IR? I would appreciate if you added the # of years for each step too. Thanks.

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[Zetterberg07]

You cannot get into interventional radiology by completing an IM or surg residency.
To get into IR you must do a 1 year internship, followed by 4 years of radiology residency, followed by a 1 year interventional radiology fellowship. There are DIRECT or Clinical IR paths which differ somewhat- in the Direct path you do two years of internship, generally surgery or medicine, and then 3 years of radiology residency, and then a 1 year interventional radiology fellowship. In some cases it is possible to transfer into a direct spot after doing two years of surgery or medicine, but there a limited number of people who do that each year.
I'm not as familiar with the requirements for INR from other specialties but I know that if you go the radiology route its the same 1 year of internship, 4 years radiology residency, and then generally 1 year of diagnostic neuroradiology followed by 2 years of interventional neuro training. I know that it is possible to do INR through neurology or neurosurgery.