radiology, nuclear medicine, quantum physics and nanotechnology

[ramseszerg]

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Is radiology and/or nuclear medicine a good way to combine my interest in medicine and physics? I'm doing a BA in health sciences right now, and wanted to be a doctor for as long as I remember, but recently discovered that I'm especially good at physics compared to my peers of equal intellectual ability in other subjects, and also discovered my interest in the subject matter. I kind of freaked out, because a BA in health sciences is a very general, interdisciplinary degree and if I wanted to pursue quantum physics or nanotechnology I should have chosen a different program for my undergrad. So are radiology and nuclear medicine mostly about reading PET scans and MRIs, or is there enough of a connection to physics and innovation? I'm thinking I can pursue a clinical/academic career, or just a clinical one.

 

[colbgw02]

An understanding of radiological physics is required to be a radiologist, especially as a resident when you have to take the physics ABR examination. (Actually, that examination will probably be long gone by the time you get to residency) After that, you can pretty much do a huge brain dump, because the day-to-day practice of radiology doesn't involve too much physics.

Don't get ahead of yourself here. If you want to be a physician, go to medical school and maintain an open mind about different specialties. Alternatively, if you really enjoy physics, there is such a thing as a radiological physicist.

 

[ramseszerg]

I've been working towards being a doctor so far and I don't want to make too radical a career path change by transferring to a physics program to become a theoretical physicist. What about an academic career while being a clinician in radiology? Would I be involved in innovation in the physical sciences in that way?

 

[colbgw02]

Firstly, if you want to be a radiologist, strike the word clinician from your vocabulary. Clinical medicine is for the other folks. In academic radiology, I'm sure you could do some research focused on physics if you choose, but the vast majority of innovations in radiology have been made by dedicated physicists.

 

[ramseszerg]

Thanks, colbgw02.

 

[Monica Lewinsky]

Firstly, if you want to be a radiologist, strike the word clinician from your vocabulary. Clinical medicine is for the other folks. In academic radiology, I'm sure you could do some research focused on physics if you choose, but the vast majority of innovations in radiology have been made by dedicated physicists.

If a radiologist is doing a standard practice, how is that not clinical medicine? Obviously not in the clinic itself, but I thought we tend to think in dichotomies of academic vs. clinical medicine.

 

[essamhashem]

An understanding of radiological physics is required to be a radiologist, especially as a resident when you have to take the physics ABR examination. (Actually, that examination will probably be long gone by the time you get to residency) After that, you can pretty much do a huge brain dump, because the day-to-day practice of radiology doesn't involve too much physics.

Don't get ahead of yourself here. If you want to be a physician, go to medical school and maintain an open mind about different specialties. Alternatively, if you really enjoy physics, there is such a thing as a radiological physicist.

Have u reached any solution since 2008, coz i have the same condition!

 

[colbgw02]

Have u reached any solution since 2008, coz i have the same condition!

Huh?

 

[shark2000]

Totally agree with whatcolbgw02 said.

If you want to be physicist, go to physics.


Day to day practice of radiology have very little to do with physics even in academics. The physics in radiology is more pattern recognition fof artifacts and scanner set up from practical point of view and is memorizing some detailed questions for exam.


And we are different from the rest of medicine. We are not clinicians. IMO, we have better jobs than them but we are also different animals.

 

[EeePC1005PR]

Is radiology and/or nuclear medicine a good way to combine my interest in medicine and physics?

Yes.

But don't forget in radiology there will be more anatomy and pathology than physics. To obtain your fellowship, you will need to know far more of former two than physics. Once obtained fellowship, you can do as much more additional physics as you like.