Will I enjoy radiology as a career?

[Jbgustavo]

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I'm a current MS3 interested in radiology, but I've been reading a ton on here and other forums about how grueling private practice can be due to the never ending que of studies and peer pressure to read x amount of studies.

The reasons that I hear people love radiology like each case being a puzzle really resonate with me so I don't see it being a problem, but I have also come to despise cranking through uworld questions one after another. I just think that if I had to do uworld as a job I would wish I went into surgery.

Anyway sorry that was so long, but I would appreciate any insight y'all have for me. I hope I'm just being overly cautious.

 

[jorts42]

Do a radiology rotation as early as possible and see if you can see yourself doing it

 

[Jbgustavo]

I should add, I'm a pretty introverted guy, so the lack of patient con

Do a radiology rotation as early as possible and see if you can see yourself doing it

I will definitely be shadowing it more coming up. I've done an IR rotation already and loved it although I know it is very different from DR. I'm just worried because people say even shadowing isn't like the real thing. I guess this is kind of an unanswerable question because it is so specific, but if anyone can comment on their experience if they felt this way would be nice.

 

[jorts42]

I should add, I'm a pretty introverted guy, so the lack of patient con
I will definitely be shadowing it more coming up. I've done an IR rotation already and loved it although I know it is very different from DR. I'm just worried because people say even shadowing isn't like the real thing. I guess this is kind of an unanswerable question because it is so specific, but if anyone can comment on their experience if they felt this way would be nice.

You need to do DR and imagine yourself in the shoes of the resident. A lot of people like IR and don't like DR

 

[Gadofosveset]

DR shadowing is kind of a wasted experience, IMO. You don't get much of a feel for what's really going on, sort of like watching someone play a totally unfamiliar board game. If they let you look at some images and come up with your own report, that would be more like an accurate residency experience.

You will not be able to understand the feelings of pressure (and sometimes exhaustion) of private practice rads as an M3 or M4. Most residents don't even get it. Don't try.

IR's not exactly laid back. Most specialities are not. Look at the attendings in different fields to get an idea of what you might look like in the future.

 

[colbgw02]

I'm a current MS3 interested in radiology, but I've been reading a ton on here and other forums about how grueling private practice can be due to the never ending que of studies and peer pressure to read x amount of studies.

The reasons that I hear people love radiology like each case being a puzzle really resonate with me so I don't see it being a problem, but I have also come to despise cranking through uworld questions one after another. I just think that if I had to do uworld as a job I would wish I went into surgery.

Anyway sorry that was so long, but I would appreciate any insight y'all have for me. I hope I'm just being overly cautious.

There aren't too many specialties in medicine that are immune from being busy in private practice. I suppose what makes private practice radiology different is that there is a shared patient pool, so production expectations are determined by the group or an influential subset, meaning you may end up feeling forced to read more than you would prefer. On the contrary, my spouse, for example, has her own patients. She can choose to see as many as she wants in a day, and her pay will reflect that.

Besides, there's a wide gulf between now and when you finish training. Although I doubt it, we may all be hospital employees by then and the biggest driver of volume (profit) will have gone the way of the dodo.

Contrary to what is often espoused, each case isn't a puzzle. The overwhelming majority of cases are rote once you've done this for awhile, and that's true of almost everything in medicine, really. That isn't to say that you won't see interesting things.

Personally, I don't think there is some specific personality type that is destined to enter radiology. As others have said, try it out and see what you think, especially if you hate rounding and don't want to cut. Just understand that your experience will be a poor surrogate for what being a radiologist is like.

 

[scootad.]

I suppose what makes private practice radiology different is that there is a shared patient pool, so production expectations are determined by the group or an influential subset, meaning you may end up feeling forced to read more than you would prefer. On the contrary, my spouse, for example, has her own patients. She can choose to see as many as she wants in a day, and her pay will reflect that.

This is an oft overlooked point. The fact that you are sharing a list with other people and working as a "team" to finish the cases of the day. Depending on the setup at the group you join, you may end up doing more than your share of work, especially if working alongside a lazy rad. On the contrary, the culture of the group may be such that they divide the work equally or most everyone is a hardworking go-getter...This is what can make the job an enjoyable one versus one you dread going into every morning. It's the structure of the PP that will make all the difference.