Why Radiology as a career choice: Pros and Cons

Dr.Meinal Chaudhry, 3 mins read

Clinical radiology is one of the most exciting and rapidly advancing fields in medicine. Radiology is a branch of medicine that deals with radiant energy in diagnosing and treating diseases. This field can be divided into two broad areas: diagnostic and interventional radiology. A physician who specialises in radiology is called a radiologist.

A radiologist is a specialised doctor who has completed postgraduate training in performing and interpreting imaging tests and carrying out interventional procedures, using imaging techniques.

Clinical radiology is at the forefront of medical technology and has revolutionised medicine over the past 100 years. This specialty has a wide scope and opens wide career options in clinical medicine, teaching, and research. Here are some pros and cons of having radiology as a career:

Pros

1. Good demand for radiologists: There is much demand for radiologists these days as most medical degree graduates often opt for surgery, paediatrics, general practitioner, etc. It is a smart career move and as a radiologist, your job is to reduce uncertainty.
2. Flexible working environment: A career in radiology offers a very flexible working environment as you can work remotely anywhere with a good internet connection.
3. Great opportunities for research and innovation: As a clinical radiologist, you will be surrounded by great technologies and informatics. New-age technologies like AI and Machine Learning will keep developing but human radiologists will always be needed to make difficult decisions that machines cannot. So, it can be an exciting field if you are a tech-savvy person.
4. You are the doctors’ doctor: Other doctors will seek out your opinion as radiologists are a vital cog in the running of the hospital. Surgeons often go to the radiology department to have an opinion before medical procedures.

Cons

1. You are behind the scenes: Radiology may not be as rewarding as other specialisations as you do help the patient to recover, the credit will go to the primary care doctor. So, you will rarely get to see how patient care evolves.
2. Work can be repetitive: Sometimes, radiologists tend to suffer burnout due to work overload, but the challenging nature of the job is what makes it in demand.
3. Artificial Intelligence will change how radiologists work: With the advent of AI and Machine Learning, smarter machines will be able to analyse lots of images very quickly. However, there will always be the need for human radiologists to scan and analyse difficult results.
4. Your work can go unappreciated sometimes: Radiologists need to be thick-skinned as you have to sometimes deal with other doctors’ mistakes. Doctors can also sometimes demand tests that you do not think are necessary. They can also not be very appreciative of your efforts and not listen to your feedback.
5. Not the best paid compared to other specialisations: Radiology may not be one of the best-paid specialisations, but it is also not the most stressful.

Also, Read: Why Women Should be Careful of after forty