Interventional pulmonology entails procedural expertise in a number of conventional and evolving medical procedures. The number of procedural modalities are increasing, however, as is their complexity. In addition to their traditional apprenticeship training, IP specialists use simulators and attend on-site multi-day training courses. These are invaluable for acquiring training for specific procedures, emergencies, and technical skills, but procedural numbers, actually learning by doing in the clinical setting, help develop the judgment, resilience, and nuance that only real-world experience can provide.

Real-time procedural numbers are critical because they represent real-world complexity and unpredictability crucial to learning good decision-making and crisis management. They are important to becoming an “interventional pulmonologist” because situational awareness and experiential knowledge grow over time. They teach stress management and enhance an operator’s confidence. They also abide with legal and regulatory standards, even if these are not yet evidence-based. Finally real-time procedural numbers are crucial to learning communication, leadership, and team-building skills that are applicable in an ever-changing real-world medical environment.  

Considering the growing number of IP specialists seeking training, however, institutions are increasingly challenged with finding enough patients to fill the “procedural demand,” and it is uncertain whether all training institutions can honor procedural numbers criteria listed in the specialty’s various guidelines. Finding a satisfactory and ethical solution to this problem is a task the specialty’s leaders must address…soon.