What does competence entail in interventional radiology?

Interventional radiology is a relatively new speciality and may be referred to as "image-guided surgery without a scalpel". Training and accreditation bodies regard interventional radiology training as being "different" from general radiology because of the additional need for dexterity and clinical acumen. Due to the multidimensional role of an interventional radiologist, a practitioner in this discipline must have a number of the competencies of anesthetists, surgeons, and radiologists. The attributes required of an interventional radiologist are akin to those required of a surgeon. This paper gives an overview of the skills required to be a competent interventional radiologist along with a succinct introduction to methods of assessment of technical and non-technical skills.