One of the most important tasks a medical student has during medical school is to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Perhaps the most important decision a medical student has to make is choosing their medical specialty.
There are MANY different specialties to choose from, each with its unique benefits and drawbacks. In this post, I’ll talk about why you should consider radiology – the best of the medical specialties.
Why is Radiology the Best Specialty?
Because I already committed myself to it and I have to justify my decision… Just kidding!
Radiology is a unique specialty with many different options that allow you to essentially “choose your own adventure” when choosing a job – there’s a Goldilocks job out there for most people.
Here are my top reasons why radiology is the best specialty:
1. Radiology is a Growing Field
The volume of imaging studies performed in a given year has been constantly and consistently growing, reaching new all-time highs on essentially an annual basis.
As baby boomers age, they will require more medical care, which will include imaging examinations and interventional procedures. There will be plenty of work for radiologists for the foreseeable future and job security is a good thing! (I’ll touch on artificial intelligence and my thoughts on this later in the article).
While the vast majority of radiology studies are performed for diagnostic and problem-solving purposes, screening exams are also on the rise. Now that we can screen for various cancers via imaging (lung, breast, colon), we’re seeing another pathway for volume growth – even more job security!
Diagnostic imaging is also a staple in the emergency setting, aiding in the diagnosis of innumerable pathologies and sometimes substituting for the physical exam… (just kidding).
2. Radiology is a High-Paying Specialty
Radiologists are among the highest-paid doctors. The average annual salary of a radiologist is $432,990 (ranging from $374,590 to $498,390) according to Salary.com (as of May 28, 2022).
Keep in mind though that money does not guarantee happiness and salary should not be the primary factor influencing your career decision. Believe me, there are plenty of unhappy rich people out there. That being said, you should be able to afford a VERY comfortable life!
3. Radiology has an Excellent Work-Life Balance
In general, radiologists have an excellent work-life balance.
- We benefit from shift work, which allows us to go home and not have to think about work.
- Most of us don’t take overnight call (interventional radiology may have call or utilize a night float system).
- The average radiologist, especially in private practice, has plenty of vacation (6-34 weeks depending on the group and position with night radiologists frequently working 1 week on followed by 1-2 weeks off) and frequently knows their time off 6-12 months in advance. If you like to travel, this is a huge plus!
- There is also a lot of job variability – with all the different subspecialties, you can find something that best fits you. Need patient interaction and like procedures? Interventional radiology and mammography/women’s imaging have you covered. Want a little patient interaction, but spend the majority of your time in the reading room? Most hospital sites and some outpatient clinic sites have either fluoroscopy or light procedures to scratch your itch. Prefer to be confined to a dark room? Teleradiology is for you!
- We can work from home (occasionally or even full-time).
*Disclaimer: Any person can overwork him or herself at pretty much any job.
4. Diagnostic Radiology is Intellectually Stimulating
Every imaging study a radiologist interprets is a potential mystery. All radiologists are diagnosticians – we are problem solvers.
As you go through your radiology training, you will realize that radiology residents have to learn a lot about a lot. It’s an incredibly steep learning curve. Think of it as mental cardio, preparing you to use your brain on a daily basis.
There is a broad range of specialties, ranging from body imaging to interventional radiology. Everyone will learn general radiology during their radiology residency and the vast majority will go on to complete a fellowship in their subspecialty of choice.
It’s hard to get bored in radiology. Even the most seasoned radiologists see new interesting cases almost daily. If you like problem-solving, diagnostic radiology is the career choice for you.
5. Need Patient Interaction? Allow Me to Introduce You to Interventional Radiology and Mammography!
As radiologists, we play both direct and indirect roles in patient care – diagnosing disease and injury from behind the scenes and to patients directly.
While we’re frequently stereotyped as introverts hiding in our reading room, that’s frequently far from the truth. Most radiologists perform fluoroscopy exams and light procedures such as joint injections and all radiologists interact with other physicians and clinicians, calling with unexpected results. For those in other specialties out there, it’s generally not a good sign when we call – sorry in advance 🙁
Interventional radiology and mammography are subspecialties with continuous direct patient contact, performing a range of procedures from biopsies to life-saving embolizations (you’ll probably want the interventional radiologists for this one…).
Interventional radiologists also directly treat patients, offering treatment for various cancers, vascular diseases, and more, both within a hospital or clinic setting.
A pediatric radiologist also frequently interacts with both their pediatric patients and their families.
Regardless of the fellowship you choose, you can find patient contact in the radiology department! Personally, I enjoy explaining fluoroscopy study results with patients.
6. Radiology Benefits from Technological Advances
We’re experiencing a technological boom in human society and medicine is reaping many of the rewards.
Imaging hardware and software packages are constantly evolving allowing for faster imaging, further improvements in dose reduction, and faster delivery of radiology images. Image quality is still improving and AI is gradually starting to play a helpful role.
When you enter radiology, you can rest assured that the field will rapidly change from your medical school and radiology residency days and you’ll be along for the ride.
Nuclear medicine, for example, has recently found itself on the rise with new specialized PET radiotracers already proving to be game-changers in the treatment of cancers such as prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors such as carcinoid.
7. Educational Opportunities Galore!
Like to teach? Me too! In fact, I love it.
Academics
Education and research are both cornerstones of academic radiology and play an instrumental role in radiology training.
Academics is the best way to engage in teaching residents and medical students. We all understand the importance of medical education and most of us have been or will be fortunate enough to have incredible teachers and mentors along the way. And the best way to thank those individuals? Pay it forward.
Academics will give you access to both teaching and research opportunities as well as allow you to follow any interest you may have within and even outside of your subspecialty.
Private Practice
Most private practice groups have relationships with hospitals and many are involved in resident education with residents from other specialties, medical students, and even nurse practitioner and physician assistant students.
Whether in the private or academic sector, you will likely participate in multidisciplinary conferences such as tumor boards and work with colleagues in most other specialties to further hone your skills with radiology, pathology, and surgical correlation for interesting cases. You’ll be amazed how much you can learn from and teach other clinicians at these conferences.
8. Leadership Opportunities
Want to be a hospital medical director, department chair, or Chief Medical Officer? Well good news: all are within reach regardless of your medical specialty.
Private groups also have plenty of leadership opportunities ranging from section head to Board of Directors member to President if you’re so inclined. Reach for the stars and you’re bound to find one!
9. Durability
Radiology is demanding on the mind but spares the rest of t