Top Radiology specialist: Job Description, Career, Salary

Overview of Radiology

Radiology as a medical field uses imaging techniques to diagnose and treat diseases in patients’ bodies and is one of the rapidly growing fields in medical science. Imaging techniques like X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, and nuclear medicine are used for diagnosing conditions like fractures, tumors, or infections. 

A radiologist is a healthcare professional specially trained to use radiology to help physicians diagnose patients' diseases. As discussed, the main techniques used are X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, and nuclear medicine, a radiologist studies the images produced by the imaging techniques and tries to accurately diagnose diseases in patients’ bodies. We will also discuss other roles and responsibilities of a radiologist later in this blog. 
 

Top Specialties in Radiology

Below listed are some of the top specialties a radiologist can choose from after studying radiology:

Pediatric Radiology focuses on using imaging and diagnosing techniques to detect diseases in infants, children, and teenagers. 

Musculoskeletal radiology focuses on techniques like imaging, diagnosis, and treatment of disorders of the joints, bones, muscles, and spine. 

Neuroradiology focuses on the diagnosis and characterization of abnormalities in the central and peripheral nervous system of patients, along with the spine, and head & neck.

Head and neck radiology This subspecialty of radiology focuses on diagnosing diseases affecting the head, neck, and spine of patients. 

Genitourinary radiology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in a patient’s body and conditions affecting the urinary and reproductive organs.

Gastrointestinal radiology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of the gastrointestinal diseases (GI) tract of patients, which includes the esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines, and rectum. 

Emergency radiology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of acute illnesses and injuries in patients using various imaging techniques.

Chest radiology focuses on the thoracic cavity of patients, including the heart, lungs, airways, blood vessels, and the bones of the spine and chest. 

Cardiovascular radiology focuses on the imaging and diagnosis of diseases related to the heart and blood vessels of patients’ bodies. 

Bone densitometry focuses on measuring the density of minerals (especially calcium) in patients’ bones using X-rays or CT scans. 

Radiation oncology focuses on the treatment of cancer in patients using radiation therapy. 
 

Radiologist Career Path - Step-By-Step Guide

Here are the steps that you can follow to become a radiologist:

 Step 1. Pass Class 12th with PCB

One has to complete class 12th with physics, chemistry, and biology and should have scored more than 50% in the final exam to be eligible for a career in radiology. 

 Step 2. Sit for an Entrance Exam 

In India, after your higher secondary examination, you can choose to sit for an entrance exam conducted by NTA depending on the choice of your bachelor’s degree. For a bachelor's degree in medical science such as MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BUMS, BHMS, and other undergraduate medical programs at approved Medical or Dental or AYUSH colleges or Institutes (AIIMS & JIPMER) in India, you have to sit for NEET-UG or any other entrance exam conducted by the respective college or university you want to take admission in. 

 Step 3. Complete a Medical UG Program 

After being admitted to a medical UG program in a University or college. Try to complete the program with some hands-on experience in radiology. 

 Step 4. Get a Masters in Radiology 

It is better to opt for a master's in radiology as it will provide you with all the knowledge required to embark on a specialized role in the radiology domain.  

 Step 5. Get a Job or Fellowship

Complete the master's degree and find yourself a job that falls under the field of radiology or join a fellowship program to gain more hands-on experience on how to perform diagnosing using imaging techniques like X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, etc. 
 

Job Description of Radiologists

-To ensure patients’ safety by evaluating their medical histories to ensure that various medical imaging procedures will not     cause any harm to their bodies. 

-Reviewing and interpreting medical images to diagnose patients’ status and determine their future medical care. 

-Planning the radiology procedure of getting the required medical images required for diagnosis and delivering orders.

-Suggesting the right medical imaging technique for better image and healthcare experience. 

-Using modern devices such as computer tomography (CT) scanners and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines to       get accurate pictures. 

-Communicating and discussing the medical image results and diagnoses with physicians for better healthcare treatment. 

-Performing minimally invasive surgical techniques with image guidance.

Skills Required to Become a Radiologist

• Basic understanding of human anatomy.
• A proven work experience as a Radiologist or in a similar role.
• To help diagnose and treat injuries with the knowledge of general surgery practices.
• Radiologists must have technical skills to operate pieces of equipment like CT scanners, X-ray machines, and MRI scanners.
• Ability to work on different shifts based on the clinic’s needs.

Benefits of Pursuing a Career in Radiology

Here is a list of some benefits one will get if they choose to pursue a career in radiology:

• High Demand - Radiologists are one of the high-demand skills in both India and abroad. This ensures that a skilled radiologist will have many job opportunities knocking on their doors.  
• Good Salary - The average compensation of a radiologist is high for a skilled radiologist.
• Career Advancements - Radiologists can expect a high potential for career growth with the advancements in their skills. 
• Diverse Career Opportunities - A radiologist can choose to advance in different careers by choosing different areas of specialization like Computed tomography, Magnetic resonance imaging, Bone densitometry, Mammography, Nuclear medicine, etc. 
• Impactful Career - Radiologists play a crucial role in patient care by accurately using medical imaging to diagnose and treat various conditions, significantly impacting patients' lives. 
• Continuous Learning - Radiologists often need to work closely with other medical specialties and also sometimes have to take over a task that requires some additional skill set to be completed. 
   

List of Colleges/Institutes Offering Radiology Courses 

List of Top Radiologist Recruiters 

• Apollo Hospital 
• AIIMS
• Fortis HealthCare
• NIMHANS
• Manipal Hospitals
• Breach Candy Hospital
• TATA Medical 
• HLL Life Care Limited
• Max Healthcare
• Fortis Hospital
• Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
   

Radiology Jobs and Salary 

Docthub can help you find a comprehensive list of colleges or institutes offering different levels of radiology courses. 

FAQs

1. Which radiology specialty makes the most money?

Although all the radiology specialties make a good amount of money. But in general, the Interventional Radiologist specialty makes the most money. 

2. Is radiology equal to MBBS?

MBBS stands for Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery and radiology is a specialized branch of medicine that uses various imaging techniques like X-rays, CT scans, MRI, and ultrasound, for diagnosing and treating diseases in patients. 

3. Why radiology is the best specialty in India? 

All the radiology specialties are of equal importance and the best radiology specialty for someone is the specialty in which they have an interest. Read the blog to learn more about radiology and how to become a radiologist. 

4. What is the highest-paying radiology specialty?

All the radiology specialties get paid well but in general interventional radiologists get paid the most. 

5. Is radiology a good career?

Radiology as a career is one of the most rewarding careers both in terms of salary and dignity. To understand more about radiology as a career, read the blog.