What you should know about being a Radiologist

In this post about what you should know about being a Radiologist we will start by covering what exactly a Radiologist is. Simply put, a physician that specialises in different radiology or medical imaging techniques in order to effectively diagnose, analyse and assess a variety of diseases and injuries. Therefore, Radiologists undergo a vast amount of training, which includes the completion of a radiology bachelor’s degree, medical school, and a residency. The study of radiology itself is the study and practice of utilising imaging techniques such as CT scans, x-rays, ultrasounds, MRI scans and positron emission tomography (PET) scans.

Knowing this, it would be fair to say that radiology is one of the leading fields in Healthcare nowadays, and with that in mind, we thought of a few key pointers that you should know, whether you are an aspiring Radiologist or have been invested into the field for decades:

Be genuinely caring towards your patients

Patients of all ages, could be in your radiology theatre or MRI room, and not all will feel entirely safe or comfortable with the process. Hence, high quality and professional patient care is potentially one of the most valuable things to take with you from your medical education. X-ray operators will more often than not meet with a number of different people every day, most of whom could be in pain, anxious, elderly or young. And yet, in most cases, the technicians possess the advantage of being able to tackle each patient’s case one at a time, giving them the opportunity to empathise with the patient and ensure they feel as comfortable as possible during their visit to the lab.

How to factor in radiation protection

Few professions involve the operating and maintenance of equipment that emits radiation, so ensuring that patients, technicians, staff and equipment are handled safely and properly is not to be taken lightly. That being said, MRI and Ultrasound are not particularly an issue regarding radiation, as they comprised of magnetic fields and/or sound waves, which are not harmful to people (unless they are wearing jewellery, always be careful of that when using an MRI scanner!). X-rays and CT scans do emit radiation that could potentially be harmful in excessively high doses. Thus, it is vital to make sure that health and safety standards are followed closely, and no forms of malpractice take place. Most, if not all, radiology courses will cover safe operation and equipment, but it never hurts to refresh yourself on protocols, and keep up to date on safety developments.

Use Radiology to expand your knowledge base

Radiologists have the benefit of working with and analysing the entire body, being able to liaise with medical staff across all disciplines, whilst having first-hand opportunity in better understand human anatomy and physiology. Why not exploit this and expand your knowledge base into other medical fields. You have the opportunity to become a more versatile medical professional and boost your effectiveness and efficiency in diagnosing a patient’s condition during imaging processes.

For more information on the roles that we recruit for in the radiology browse our opportunities here.