What is a radiologist and what schooling is required to become one?

Answer 1

I have a friend who is a Medical Physicist - he has a BS in nuclear engineering and an MS in Health Physics. Not a doctor, but makes very good money nonetheless and only took about 6 years of schooling (including the BS).

Answer 2

A radiologist is a doctor who specializes in interpreting x-rays, mri, and ct scans. Just like other medical doctors, radiologists have to complete 4 years of medical school. Then they will complete a residency in radiology, which I think is usually 3 years.

Answer 3

Radiologists are physicians who earn a four-year doctoral degree to become an M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy). They then complete a four-year residency in diagnostic radiology or radiation oncology. More than 90 percent of radiologists go on to become certified by the American Board of Radiology, indicating that they have passed a standardized national examination in radiology.

Diagnostic radiologists specialize in the interpretation of medical images such as MR scans, CT scans, radiographs, nuclear medicine scans, mammograms and sonograms. They are specially trained to identify injury and disease in each of the body's systems, whether bone, tissue, organs or blood vessels. Radiologists may specialize in fields such as neuroradiology, angiography, cardiovascular-interventional radiology, pediatric radiology or nuclear medicine.

Radiation oncologists are radiologists who specialize in the treatment of cancer. They consult with each patient and the patient's primary care physician to determine the best course of therapy and plan a treatment schedule. Then, they work with a medical dosimetrist to calculate how much radiation will be delivered. The radiation therapist is the medical professional who carries out the treatment plan by delivering targeted radiation to the tumor site.

Interventional radiologists are radiologists who perform nonsurgical treatments for a number of medical conditions, most commonly vascular disease. Examples of these treatments include angioplasty, thrombolysis, atherectomy, embolization of bleeding vessels and occlusion of brain aneurysms. Interventional radiologists perform these procedures under the guidance of x-rays, magnetic resonance or other imaging methods.

Answer 4

You have to go to med school and become a doctor. You then need to do your residency in radiology. I do know that of all the possible specialities, radiology is the longest residency to complete...I think its five years. As a medical doctor there is alot of advantages to this specialty. You do not have to see patients in an office. Radiology tends to have better hours for a personal life, and days that are not as long as most doctors have. Or at least you have the opportunity to make it that way. The money can be great.....especially if you set up your own radiology center.

Answer 5

Too broad a subject to cover in a few paragraphs. For full coverage, please see http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=15892

It should answer your all questions.
You require a degree in medicine to become a radiologist.