What Is a Radiologist? | American College of Radiology (2024)

Radiologists are medical doctors that specialize in diagnosing and treating injuries and diseases using medical imaging (radiology) procedures (exams/tests) such as X-rays, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography (PET) and ultrasound.

Radiologists complete at least 13 years of training, including medical school, a four-year residency, and most often, an additional one- or two-year fellowship of very specialized training, such as radiation oncology, pediatric radiology, or interventional radiology. They are certified by the American Board of Radiology, and they have exacting requirements for continuing medical education throughout their practicing years.

Visit radiologyinfo.org for more comprehensive information on specific exams, disease conditions and treatments presented in easy-to-understand videos, images and articles.

Diagnostic Radiologists

What Is a Radiologist? | American College of Radiology (1)

Diagnostic radiologists use a variety of imaging procedures to see inside the body and assess or diagnose the patient’s condition. Your radiologist plays an important role in your health by acting as an expert consultant to your referring physician (the doctor who sent you for testing) by providing assistance in choosing the proper exam and directing radiology technologists (those who operate the equipment) in properly performing quality exams. They interpret and report on the resulting images, recommending treatment and, only when appropriate, additional tests.

Diagnostic radiologists, through extensive clinical work and related research, may also specialize in these radiology subspecialties:

  • Breast imaging (mammograms)
  • Cardiovascular radiology (heart and circulatory system)
  • Chest radiology (heart and lungs)
  • Emergency radiology
  • Gastrointestinal radiology (stomach, intestines and abdomen)
  • Genitourinary radiology (reproductive and urinary systems)
  • Head and neck radiology
  • Musculoskeletal radiology (muscles and skeleton)
  • Neuroradiology (brain and nervous system; head, neck and spine)
  • Pediatric radiology (imaging of children)

Interventional Radiologists

What Is a Radiologist? | American College of Radiology (2)
These radiologists are doctors who diagnose and treat patients using image-guided, minimally invasive techniques such as X-rays and MRI. They carefully guide instruments through tiny incisions in the body, reaching the source of a medical problem and delivering targeted treatments. These treatments are for conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and uterine fibroids, offering less risk, pain and recovery time compared to traditional surgery.

Radiation Oncologists

What Is a Radiologist? | American College of Radiology (3)

These highly trained radiologists are doctors who prescribe and oversee each cancer patient's treatment plan. They use radiation therapy to treat cancer, and they monitor the patient's progress and adjust treatment to make sure patients receive appropriate quality care. Radiation oncologists receive extensive training in cancer medicine, in the safe use of radiation to treat disease, and in managing any side effects caused by radiation.


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What Is a Radiologist? | American College of Radiology (4)

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What Is a Radiologist? | American College of Radiology (2024)

FAQs

What Is a Radiologist? | American College of Radiology? ›

Radiologists are medical doctors that specialize in diagnosing

diagnosing
Medical diagnosis (abbreviated Dx, Dx, or Ds) is the process of determining which disease or condition explains a person's symptoms and signs. It is most often referred to as a diagnosis with the medical context being implicit.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Medical_diagnosis
and treating injuries and diseases using medical imaging (radiology) procedures (exams/tests) such as X-rays, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography (PET) and ultrasound.

What is the definition of a radiologist? ›

A radiologist is a medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions using imaging equipment. Radiologists often specialize in specific areas of radiology, such as pediatric radiology, oncology radiology or interventional radiology.

Is a radiologist degree hard? ›

It's a pretty intense program involving in depth study of Anatomy and Physiology, basic Radiologic Principles (science and some physics), body imaging and positioning techniques, medical terminology, and patient care techniques.

Why is becoming a radiologist so hard? ›

Yes, the radiologists follow a challenging career path. They need highly specialized training, which takes about 13 years. Radiologists must earn a doctoral degree and complete a four-year residency. They typically also complete a one- to two-year fellowship in a specific area, such as pediatric radiology.

What is the highest salary of a radiologist? ›

Radiologist salary in India ranges between ₹ 1.0 Lakhs to ₹ 50.0 Lakhs with an average annual salary of ₹ 24.8 Lakhs.

Is radiologist and radiology the same? ›

Radiology is a medical specialty that involves the use of medical imaging techniques to diagnose and treat diseases. Radiologists are medical doctors who specialize in interpreting medical images, such as X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine scans.

Is a radiologist a type of doctor? ›

Who is the radiologist? Radiologists are medical doctors (MDs) or doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs) who have completed a 4-year residency in radiology. A radiologist may act as a consultant to another doctor who is caring for the patient, or act as the patient's primary doctor in treating a disease.

Is radiology harder than rn? ›

Generally speaking, nursing school may be considered more difficult than radiology technician school as nursing students need to complete more hours of clinical experience and have a deeper understanding of human anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology.

What is the hardest part of radiology? ›

Radiology residency is known for being especially challenging due to its high volume of reading materials. In fact, many radiology residents have reported experiencing burnout throughout their program.

Is there a lot of math in radiology? ›

In fact, you may never have thought of radiology careers as being math-oriented fields. However, radiology specialists and radiographers apply mathematics in their jobs every day as they use radiation to diagnose or treat patients.

Why does radiology pay so much? ›

Radiologists are among the highest-paid medical professionals due to the complexity of their work and the critical role they play in patient care. The earning potential of radiologists varies depending on several factors, including experience, location, and subspecialty.

What is the highest paying radiology job? ›

Top Radiology and Medical Imaging Salaries
  1. Nuclear Medicine Technologist | $54,000 - $124,000. ...
  2. Interventional Radiological Technologist | $54,000 - $119,000. ...
  3. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer (aka Ultrasound Technologist) | $52,000 - $104,000. ...
  4. Cardiovascular Technologist | $46,000 - $103,000.

Why do radiology techs make so much? ›

No one else on the patient's team does what rad techs do, so, yes the job pays well because the need for rad techs has never been greater. In other words, rad techs are responsible for obtaining high-quality, specific-view images of a patient using innovative scanning technologies, as requested by a doctor.

Which state pays radiologists the most? ›

Salary Based on Supply and Demand

Here are the 5 states that pay radiology physicians the most (according to ZipRecruiter): New York: $409,782. Pennsylvania: $375,232. New Hampshire: $366,923.

What is the lowest salary for a radiologist? ›

While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $394,761 and as low as $49,345, the majority of Entry Level Radiologist salaries currently range between $315,800 (25th percentile) to $394,800 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $394,761 annually in California.

What country pays radiologists the most? ›

Globally, radiologists are among the highest paid healthcare providers – and you earn the most here in the United States, according to the results of a newly released survey.

Why would you see a radiologist? ›

Takeaways. Radiologists play a vital role in diagnosing and treating illness. They review and interpret imaging tests that give your doctor essential information about your health. You may see a radiologist for lots of different health concerns, including cancer, heart disease, and emergency care.

Do radiologists go to med school? ›

Radiologists begin their education in the same manner as other physicians. They obtain a bachelor's degree followed by four years of medical school where they earn an MD or DO. Residency is a five-year program that varies depending on the specialty area of radiology chosen.

Why do radiologists make so much? ›

Radiologists are among the highest-paid medical professionals due to the complexity of their work and the critical role they play in patient care. The earning potential of radiologists varies depending on several factors, including experience, location, and subspecialty.

What is radiology used for? ›

Radiology is a branch of medicine that uses imaging technology to diagnose and treat disease. Radiology may be divided into two different areas, diagnostic radiology and interventional radiology. Doctors who specialize in radiology are called radiologists.

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