I also feel discouraged about radiology as an R1 and receive similar advice about the steep learning curve and going "back to step one" with each new rotation. I agree it can be difficult to separate frustration with the radiology learning process and disappointment with the field itself. Often, I think about friends who went into IM or neurology and wish I had gone that way.
I also got the response about procedures and IR fulfilling your need for patient contact, but it is important to think about the kind of patient contact you want. You are unlikely to have a longitudinal relationship with patients in radiology, and many procedures involve only brief interactions. IR clinics and inpatient services do exist, but these are only found at select hospitals.
I do appreciate that radiology eliminates all of the most frustrating aspects of clinical medicine such as progress notes, discharge notes/planning, and insurance related paperwork. The work flow seems much less unpredictable. Radiology also has the advantage of being very mentally intense (which is actually an aspect I enjoy).
From speaking to more senior residents, including people who both switched into and out of radiology, more people doubt their career choice than will openly admit to it.
