Finishing up Radiology Residency - Ask me (Almost) Anything

[GuitarFreak]

Hey everyone,

So I've kind of gotten into the habit of doing these every so often since I never had a resource like this back in the day when I was applying. I've gotten good feedback and have been able to answer a bunch of questions in the past.

Since I had some time to kill, I figured why not start another one of these threads to answer questions for a lot of you aspiring physicians.

I know the process and specifics have changed a lot since I applied for medical school and residency so I may not be too up to date on the minute details. But I feel like I can still let everyone know about life on the other side.

Let me know if you guys have questions about anything, from getting into medical school to picking a specialty to getting into residency, and everything in between.

Best,
GuitarFreak

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[Osminog]

Is it true that a fellowship is pretty much a necessity now if you want to be competitive in the radiology job market?

Are you worried about how AI will affect radiology in the future?

 

[GuitarFreak]

Is it true that a fellowship is pretty much a necessity now if you want to be competitive in the radiology job market?

Are you worried about how AI will affect radiology in the future?

1. It's a lot less true in today's market than it was, say 5 years ago. I personally know multiple people who have taken pretty good jobs without fellowship. I was offered a very solid job as well. But I personally think its in one's best interest to continue on to do a fellowship just to cover your bases in the future.

2. I am not worried about it at all. My personal opinion is that early adapters of AI will end up on top and will be able to optimize their practices and become more efficient.

 

[GuitarFreak]

1) what were the initial signs that you were interested in radiology when you were in medical school?

2) other than shadowing radiologists + joining interest groups ~ do you have any advice for medical students in their preclinical years?

1. I actually wanted to be a Radiologist when I was a kid so my path was very different than your standard. I didn't decide to do Rads when I was in medical school. But I think it ends up being a good fit for people who are detail oriented, have an appreciation for technology, enjoy the minutia of anatomy and don't care too much about constant direct patient-care.

2. I think that's really all you can do in your preclinical years. Your preclinical years are more about medicine than about Radiology. I think you should focus your preclinical years to get yourself into the best school possible and worry about specialities later.

 

[Winafy]

Thank you for doing this. I am an OMS-0 and will be starting in a couple of months, so my questions may be elementary.

1. How competitive is DR/direct IR/IR fellowship for DO students? What can I do during medical school to make myself a strong candidate?

2. I really do think Radiology is an amazing field but when I look at some imaging studies, I have no clue what is normal and what is not. I know this will get better as I learn more but I am genuinely concerned I am just terrible at picking up subtleties. Is this a normal feeling to have before/during medical school?

3. I keep reading conflicting things about radiology resident/attending lifestyles. Can you elaborate and give us your perspective on this?

4. Is Radiology a good fit someone who is laid back, low energy, and "lazy"? Asking for a friend, of course. Is working part-time an option?

 

[MyGrainAura]

What do you feel are essential requirements to matching?

 

[GuitarFreak]

Thank you for doing this. I am an OMS-0 and will be starting in a couple of months, so my questions may be elementary.

1. How competitive is DR/direct IR/IR fellowship for DO students? What can I do during medical school to make myself a strong candidate?

2. I really do think Radiology is an amazing field but when I look at some imaging studies, I have no clue what is normal and what is not. I know this will get better as I learn more but I am genuinely concerned I am just terrible at picking up subtleties. Is this a normal feeling to have before/during medical school?

3. I keep reading conflicting things about radiology resident/attending lifestyles. Can you elaborate and give us your perspective on this?

4. Is Radiology a good fit someone who is laid back, low energy, and "lazy"? Asking for a friend, of course. Is working part-time an option?

1. It was on a downswing, the past few years but is Rads is back up to being very competitive this year and the trend will likely continue on for the few years. IR (residency) is definitely going to be more competitive just due to the sheer lack of number of spots. Definitely try to get yourself involved in Rads research. Reach out to local programs/Rads alums of your med school and see if they need help with anything (writing up cases etc).

2. This is perfectly normal. You have had zero to minimal experience. One of the biggest challenges in Radiology is to create your internal control for normal studies. The only way to do that is sheer volume. You will get there.

3. Radiology is no longer a lifestyle field. Don't get me wrong, the Radiology lifestyle is still better than say a neurosurgeon's work-life balance, but it is no longer a "lifestyle field". Depending on where you train as a resident/fellow and where you work (academic vs private practice), you may have to read a very large volume of studies in a finite amount of time with the added pressure of being accurate, precise & concise at the same time.

4. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Radiology is not a good fit for a person with the traits you described. The rigours of training will wean you out pretty fast actually, especially if you train at a busy hospital with independent call. If you/your friend (of course), is able to weasel your way through training, you will be fired prettttttyyy fast in any setting (academic because you're not pulling your weight/private because you're simply unproductive). That said, working part-time is definitely an option that Radiology has. There are locum jobs out there. There are jobs out there that are "pay per click" so a lazy individual may be able to survive in such an environment where you get paid as much as you read.

 

[GuitarFreak]

What do you feel are essential requirements to matching?

No secret answer here. Scores, scores, scores, research, don't be a d*ck.

That's really it.

 

[DameJulie]

1) What are your daily/weekly/monthly schedules like?

2) How much patient interaction do you get?

3) Assuming that you're a DO, is matching into Rad difficult?

Thank you in advance for providing your opinions! Rad has been a mysterious specialty for me, and I want to learn more about it.

 

[GuitarFreak]

1) What are your daily/weekly/monthly schedules like?

2) How much patient interaction do you get?

3) Assuming that you're a DO, is matching into Rad difficult?

Thank you in advance for providing your opinions! Rad has been a mysterious specialty for me, and I want to learn more about it.

1. Schedules depend on rotation. Most rotations you're in by 7:15-7:30 AM, and out by 5:30 PM-ish. But then you have a smattering of nightfloat (12-15 hour overnight shifts) as well as weekend shifts (15 hours).

2. Again, depends on the rotation. Most of the patient interaction happens during IR, Mammo, Fluoro, where you take an active role in patient care, in terms of procedures. You also end up getting some patient interaction during your peds rotation (fluoro studies mostly), nuclear medicine (administering radioactive iodine), MSK (doing joint injections/arthrograms) and ultrasound (if you want to take an active interest in scanning the patient). However, patient interaction is certainly a minor part of your daily duties.

3. Radiology went through a downswing a few years ago but is back to being competitive now. I think its competitive for DOs and MDs altogether. I'm not sure how the ACGME/AOA merger has affected competitiveness for DOs specifically though. I would still like to think that DOs have to overcome the stigma of our degree (which has improved and continues to do so). Never a bad idea to prepare for the worst & be pleasantly surprised

 

[puahate]

Do you need to love DR to do IR? Is the patient load not enough to be just an IR? Is it possible to do exclusively interventional oncology cases?

 

[GuitarFreak]

Do you need to love DR to do IR? Is the patient load not enough to be just an IR? Is it possible to do exclusively interventional oncology cases?

I think with IR branching out into its own residency, it'll be different going forward but IMO, you still need to at least tolerate DR to do IR. In private practice, you may be asked to read a small percentage of DR even if you're the IR guy/gal.

If you go to a large cancer center, it is absolutely possible to do onc cases only.