Pathways

APDIR: 2026-2027 Residency Interview Format

2026–2027 Recruitment Cycle: APDIR Statement on Residency Interview Format 
The Association of Program Directors in Interventional Radiology (APDIR) recommends that programs return to in-person interviews for the 2026–2027 recruitment cycle. APDIR recognizes that interview format is a program-level decision and affirms that in-person interviews are appropriate and consistent with the unique characteristics of IR training and recruitment.
APDIR acknowledges the AAMC's continued recommendation for virtual interviews and the equity and cost-reduction benefits of virtual formats. The AAMC also allows that programs with unique goals and context may take different approaches for sound reasons. Interventional Radiology training inherently involves specialty-specific characteristics that make in-person interviews particularly valuable:

• IR residency is a six-year commitment during which residents join small, tightly knit clinical teams of typically one to three new trainees per year, making interpersonal fit a meaningful and consequential component of the selection process.
• Applicants to IR are dual-pathway candidates navigating simultaneous DR and integrated IR decisions, for whom direct program visits may materially inform significant career choices.
• IR training involves procedural culture, team dynamics, and hands-on technical workspace elements that are difficult to assess adequately through a virtual format alone.

APDIR therefore affirms that:

1.  In-person interviews are the recommended format for IR residency programs, consistent with the AAMC's recognition that programs may adopt different approaches for sound, specialty-specific reasons. This statement is intended to support programs in discussions with their Designated Institutional Official and Graduate Medical Education Office, and APDIR encourages institutional leadership to support programs in implementing this format.
2. The physical infrastructure of an IR program — including angiography suites, hybrid operating rooms, clinic space, and procedural work areas — is a core component of what applicants are evaluating when selecting a training program and cannot be meaningfully assessed without an in-person visit.
3. Virtual interviews or a hybrid format remain fully acceptable options for programs whose institutional context, resources, or applicant pool considerations make that format preferable. Programs that determine a virtual or hybrid approach best serves their recruitment needs remain fully supported in that decision.
4. Programs conducting in-person interviews are encouraged to make reasonable efforts to limit applicant cost burden, including transparent communication about logistics and, where possible, consolidated scheduling.

APDIR will continue to gather data on interview format outcomes in IR recruitment and will update this guidance as evidence accumulates.