SCAI Responds to 2025 Interventional Cardiology Match Results and Affirms Commitment to Strengthening the Workforce Pipeline
WASHINGTON – December 4, 2025 – The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) today reviewed the results of the 2025 Interventional Cardiology Fellowship Match, which concluded on December 3. While nearly all applicants successfully matched, SCAI shared the concerns raised by some fellowship programs with unfilled positions.
For the 2026 appointment year, 153 interventional cardiology programs participated in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), offering 307 fellowship positions to 244 applicants, of which 236 (97%) applicants matched. There were 71 positions unfilled across 49 participating programs due to a lack of a commensurate number of applicants.
“We recognize that unfilled positions present significant challenges for fellowship programs, and we take these concerns very seriously,” said Match Task Force Co-Chair and SCAI President-Elect J. Dawn Abbott, MD, MSCAI. “The Interventional Cardiology Match functioned as intended, and nearly all applicants secured a position. The issue we are seeing is not a failure of the Match process, but rather evidence of a shrinking trainee pipeline. This underscores the critical need to address the factors that influence whether fellows pursue interventional cardiology: radiation exposure, orthopedic strain from wearing lead, demanding call responsibilities, burnout, and career longevity. SCAI remains deeply committed to advocating on behalf of the interventional cardiology workforce and advancing solutions that will ensure a bright and sustainable future for our profession.”
Match Task Force Co-Chair Douglas Drachman, MD, MSCAI, emphasized that the Match should not be viewed as the cause of the imbalance between applicants and available positions, noting that programs should feel confident in the integrity and stability the Match provides.
“SCAI aims to lead efforts to optimize the Match, assuring fairness, transparency, and consistency for all interventional cardiology fellowship applicants and training programs. Having a Match over the past two years has enabled us to gain new insights into our profession and the opportunities for training the next generation,” Drachman said. “It is eye-opening to note that there are considerably more fellowship positions than there are candidates. We will be exploring this trend and its implications in depth in the days and weeks to come, working with our training program director community to identify best practices to recruit, support, and train the future of interventional cardiology.”
SCAI noted that the results of its 2023 Occupational Health Hazards Survey highlighted challenges that directly influence career choices, including high rates of musculoskeletal injuries, reported cancer diagnoses, pregnancy-related safety concerns, and call-related fatigue.
To strengthen the pipeline, SCAI is advancing several workforce priorities:
- Modernizing radiation protection and reducing reliance on heavy lead
- Supporting clearer expectations and transparency around STEMI call and compensation
- Promoting wellness, ergonomics, and pregnancy safety in the cath lab
- Strengthening early exposure, mentorship, and diversity initiatives
- Working with programs to gather data and develop long-term workforce strategies
- Promoting increased societal recognition of the work done by interventional cardiology
- Enhanced advocacy to improve and maintain pay for interventional procedures
“There is no doubt that interventional cardiology is a difficult career choice, but at the same time exceedingly rewarding through the impact we make on individual patients and society as a whole, and we need to help promote these latter aspects within the medicine pipeline”, said Srihari S. Naidu, President of SCAI. “At the same time, workplace culture and career-spanning work-life harmony have risen as absolutely vital areas to target to maintain a robust workforce, and SCAI is committed to improving these aspects as a major pillar of its strategic plan”, he said.
To support continued dialogue, SCAI will soon host a Virtual Town Hall to discuss the Match results, gather program feedback, and outline next steps in the society’s workforce initiatives.
About SCAI
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions is a professional organization representing more than 5,000 invasive and interventional cardiology professionals in approximately 75 nations. SCAI’s mission is to promote excellence in invasive/interventional cardiovascular medicine through physician education and representation, and advancement of quality standards to enhance patient care. www.scai.org