Spotlights
Similar Titles
Diagnostic Radiologist, Interventional Neuroradiologist, Interventional Radiologist, Neuroradiologist, Nuclear Medicine Physician, Nuclear Medicine Specialist, Physician, Radiologist
Job Description
Radiologists are physicians who specialize in obtaining and interpreting diagnostic images of patients (such as x-rays). They are also tasked with documenting their findings in comprehensive reports.
Rewarding Aspects of Career
- Intellectually stimulating tasks and problem-solving challenges
- A sense of meaningful achievement through helping to improve a patient’s quality of life
$206,920
The Inside Scoop
Job Responsibilities
- Compile and study information about the patient’s medical history (e.g. from electronic records, patient appointments, or from referring physicians)
- Conduct diagnostic imaging procedures (e.g. MRIs, CT scans, etc.)
- Interpret the images to detect abnormalities that account for the patient’s symptoms
- Record information (e.g. entering data and storing images) from appointments and relay examination results to referring physicians, patients, or families in comprehensive interpretive reports
- Radiologists may also recommend further lines of investigation (e.g. blood testing)
- Apart from diagnosis, scans may also be performed as part of follow-up treatment (e.g. to determine if prescribed therapy is working)
- Radiologists may also be asked to consult with other physicians in multidisciplinary meetings to give their perspective on how scans correlate to the patient’s other diagnostics
- Radiologists may also be expected to supervise trainees; an especially important task since radiology is a highly specialized field
Skills Needed
Soft Skills
- Problem-solving
- Decision-making
- Inductive and Deductive reasoning
- Communication (written and oral)
Technical Skills
- Medical software: E.g. Bizmatics PrognoCIS EMR, Greenway Medical Technologies PrimeSUITE, Vitera Healthcare Solutions Vitera Intergy RIS
- Data management: Microsoft Excel
- Knowledge of medicine, science disciplines, and how to operate related medical equipment
Different Types of Organizations
- Public/Private hospital
- Private Radiology practice
Expectations/Sacrifices Necessary
- Highly demanding education and training
- Long shifts and shifts at odd hours
- Expectation to work quickly and accurately can be stress-inducing at times
Current Industry Trends
- Mitigating radiation doses: there is an ongoing discussion regarding the risk of radiation exposure during medical imaging processes. While technologies and precautions exist to protect radiologists and their teams, there is great interest in allocating time and money toward developing protocols that will generally decrease radiation doses.
- Using 3D printing and other forms of computer-aided design: 3D models can be very useful for diagnosing patients or instructing surgeons
What kinds of things did people in this career enjoy doing when they were young...
- Reading complicated texts that develop perseverance and critical thinking
- A passion for science subjects, demonstrated by taking challenging science courses, participating in science fairs and other science competitions
Education Needed
- Unlike Radiologic Technicians, Radiologists are physicians who require a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) degree
- Undergraduate majors vary but it’s important to complete prerequisite courses needed for medical school
- Common bachelor’s include healthcare, biology, and physical sciences
- Medical programs are hard to get into. Applicants need the right prerequisites, strong grades, and a great score on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)
- Med school applicants must submit letters of recommendation and documentation outlining their leadership attributes and extracurricular activity involvement. There’s usually an interview, too!
- Note, that some programs combine undergraduate studies with medical school, streamlining the academic process and in some cases allowing students to graduate sooner than average
- Medical school consists of two main phases:
- the classroom/lab phase, featuring basic classes like “anatomy, biochemistry, pharmacology, psychology, medical ethics” and practical skills development such as “learning to take medical histories, examine patients, and diagnose illnesses”
- a supervised work phase in a hospital or clinic, where students practice “diagnosing and treating illnesses through clerkships, or rotations, in a variety of areas, including internal medicine, pediatrics, and surgery”
- Following medical school, Radiologists do a “warmup” postgraduate internship followed by a 4-year residency and subspecialties fellowship
- Per Radiopaedia, a postgraduate schedule may be as follows:
- Postgraduate year (PGY) 1: clinical internship
- PGY-2 - PGY-5: radiology residency
- PGY-6 - up to PGY-8: subspecialty fellowship
- There are several fellowship options, with varying time frames for completion. Some last a year while others could take 2-3. Options include abdominal radiology, breast imaging, cardiothoracic radiology, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neuroradiology, nuclear, pediatric, and more
- Radiology residencies are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
- To obtain optional board certification, Radiologists must pass two exams from the American Board of Radiology - the Qualifying (Core) Exam and Certifying Exam
- Radiologists must be licensed to work in their respective states. Licensure requires M.D.s to pass the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination, and D.O.s to pass the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination. States may have additional licensure requirements
- Additional certification options include:
- Alliance for Physician Certification and Advancement -
- Cardiovascular Computed Tomography
- Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance
- Nuclear Cardiology
- Registered in Musculoskeletal Sonography
- American Board of Imaging Informatics - Certified Imaging Informatics Professional
- American Board of Internal Medicine - Internal Medicine / Nuclear Medicine
- American Board of Medical Physics - Certification in Medical Health Physics
- American Board of Nuclear Medicine - Nuclear Medicine Certification
- American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology - American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology Diplomate
- American Board of Physician Specialties -
- Diagnostic Radiology
- Radiation Oncology
- American Board of Radiology -
- Pediatric Radiology
- Nuclear Radiology
- Pain Medicine
- Vascular and Interventional Radiology
- Radiation Oncology
- Hospice and Palliative Medicine
- Neuroradiology
- Diagnostic Radiology
- American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine -
- Certification in Radiation Protection
- Certification in Molecular Imaging Science
- Certification in Radiopharmaceutical Science
- American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine - Certification in Nuclear Medicine Physics and Instrumentation
- American College of Rheumatology - Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Certification in Rheumatology
- American Osteopathic Board of Nuclear Medicine - Certification in Nuclear Medicine
- Association for Medical Imaging Management - Certified Radiology Administrator
- National Association for Healthcare Quality - Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality
- National Board of Echocardiography - Transthoracic 2-D and Doppler Echocardiography
- Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board - Radiation Safety Certification
- Alliance for Physician Certification and Advancement -
- Ophthalmic Photographers' Society - Certified Retinal Angiographer
What to do in HS and college
- Take college prep classes in high school, including biology, organic chemistry, math, and physics with lab
- Ask to shadow a working Radiologist to learn their daily routine
- Volunteer in a hospital or clinic to gain healthcare-related work experience and boost your college application
- Review job ads to learn more about the qualifications local employers are looking for
- Consider which major you want to pursue a bachelor’s in. Make sure it covers the necessary prerequisites for entry into a medical school later
- Join relevant student clubs and participate in professional organizations (see our list of Resources > Websites)
- Read or watch interviews with Radiologists and learn about the various areas they specialize in
- Consider writing articles for publication on healthcare websites and in print journals! Writing credits always look great on a resume or CV!
- Learn about the specific licensure requirements for the state you plan to work in
- Stay out of trouble so you can pass the background check (if applicable)!
Landing the Job
- Knock out an optional board certification to boost your credentials (see the Education Needed tab for a list of options)
- Build strong connections while doing clinical practice, internships, residencies, and fellowships. Always keep an eye open for future job opportunities!
- Get involved with professional organizations. Attend events, offer to be a guest speaker and network with peers who might be able to recommend you for jobs
- Sign up for alerts on job portals like Indeed, Simply Hired, and Glassdoor. Upload your resume/CV to make it easier for recruiters to find you
- Beyond the usual job portals, also check out local hospital career pages, career resources on professional association sites, and the American College of Radiology’s job page
- Create a professional LinkedIn account and list all of your experiences
- Check out Radiologist resume templates for ideas on formatting and phrasing
- Review sample Radiologist interview questions
- Make sure to conduct a few practice mock interviews and remember to dress for interview success!
- Stay on top of technological developments and be ready to speak about those in interviews
- The route to become a Radiologist is long. Keep your social media professional at all times. Med school admission committees and potential employers may do online research about candidates
Resources
Websites
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
- Alliance for Physician Certification and Advancement
- American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine
- American Board of Imaging Informatics
- American Board of Internal Medicine
- American Board of Medical Physics
- American Board of Medical Specialties
- American Board of Nuclear Medicine
- American Board of Physician Specialties
- American Board of Radiology
- American Board of Science in Nuclear Medicine
- American College of Physicians
- American College of Radiology
- American College of Rheumatology
- American Medical Association
- American Osteopathic Association
- American Osteopathic Board of Nuclear Medicine
- Association for Medical Imaging Management
- Association of American Medical Colleges
- Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination
- Federation of State Medical Boards
- National Association for Healthcare Quality
- National Board of Echocardiography
- National Board of Medical Examiners
- National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners
- Nuclear Medicine Technology Certification Board
- Ophthalmic Photographers' Society
- Radiological Society of North America
- RadiologyInfo
- Radiopaedia
- U.S. Medical Licensing Examination
- United States Medical Licensing Examination
Books
- A Radiologist’s Introduction To AI And Machine Learning, by Ty Vachon M.D. and Leigh Shuman M.D.
- Core Radiology: A Visual Approach to Diagnostic Imaging, by Ellen X. Sun, Junzi Shi, et al.
- Essentials of Radiology: Common Indications and Interpretation, by Fred A. Mettler Jr. MD MPH
Plan B
- Consulting
- Research: work in/lead a research department in a pharmaceutical company
- Entrepreneur: research, develop, and market new medical imaging technology
- Academic: Teach at a college/university
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