Becoming a Radiologist

[amnesia]

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I am 16 and I want to become a radiologist. I have looked into all fields and find this one the most exciting simply because I like looking at scans.

Is this a promising field in the next 10 - 15 years?

I read some information in the other threads about, but I didn't read anything about there being too many radiologist. In fact, it's my understanding that there is always a shortage of awesome doctors really.

 

[amnesia]

2014 is the application to get into med school? I will be the class of 2006 to be graduating high school. So med school will look at my high school grades? If so, that's great because I already take 5 AP and make straight A's in them (hoping to pass the tests this May)
Thanks Cuts 😉

 

[wannaberad]

unless he is joking

Med school does NOT look at your high school grades. Though they of course do influence where you go to college, which influences med school admissions.
A nice thing to ask colleges is what % of people who APPLY from their school GET IN. You can actually see this number rise as you go up the academic 'food chain'...several years ago for me this was 60 from Brandeis, 82 from Penn, and 95 from that snooty place in Massachusetts whose name I forget right now.
I don't know what the numbers are like now though.
Radiology is currently a competitive field, so try to get into a good college so you can get into a good med school so you can get into radiology (it helps). There is no telling what it will be like when you apply, though. One possibility to consider is that many films may be outsourced to India, so you might want to consider other specialties as well...ie, don't go into medicine to become a radiologist.

 

[amnesia]

Well, computer programming was my other option, but Wired had an article about outsourcing.

I wanted to go into medicine just to be a radiologist... hum..


So, I guess I could be screwed in anything? I thought outsourcing would be considered malpractice? I have read dozens of articles and one says they can't be outsourced and the other says they could.

I am applying to Yale and Hopkins.

 

[ParisHilton]

Originally posted by amnesia
I have looked into all fields and find this one the most exciting simply because I like looking at scans.

Dude, you're 16 - go smoke a joint (and if you're a troll - also go smoke a joint). How do you know you like looking at scans? Did Fisher-Price come out with a new radiology toy? What exposure do you have to radiology? There are many in their 4th year of med school don't know what they want to do. Sadly, the only people I know who wanted to be computer programmers or radiologists at 16 were brainwashed into these fields since conception. Please tell me you're not one of them. I've worked with too many of them as it is. Your only concern at this point should be who you're taking to the junior prom. Forget about Hopkins or Yale - if you're truly a gunner you'd be applying to those 6 or 7 yr combined programs. Good luck.

 

[amnesia]

Woah, you can combine years? Awesome..


You don't have to be so mean about it... as if you don't want people in your little doctor society.

I've looked at pictures where it shows people in white suits looking at scans and pointing them out and it looked neat

And no I wasn't brainwashed, I am just making choices

 

[Spacedman]

Originally posted by amnesia
Woah, you can combine years? Awesome..


You don't have to be so mean about it... as if you don't want people in your little doctor society.

I've looked at pictures where it shows people in white suits looking at scans and pointing them out and it looked neat

And no I wasn't brainwashed, I am just making choices

a friend of mine did a combined program at brown, 8 years-- applied out of high school into a straight bachelor-MD program. i think you can shave, at best, a year off the total.

and i think what cuts was saying re: 2014 is that 2014 is when you're likely, at the earliest, to start your internship. another five years *after that* and you can be a radiologist. for comparison: in 1985, you couldn't pay people to go into radiology, and MRI barely existed- that's how much things could change by the time your in a white suit reading scans.

and you may want to, umm, update your "image" of radiology. with telerads, you may be sitting in a dark room in your house in your bathrobe, alone, reading scans for 12 hours a day. not quite as romantic, huh?

spaced

 

[Wrigleyville]

Northwestern has a 7-year combined BA/MD program. There are other schools that have them as well -- it may be something for you to look into. But like the other posters said, your focus right now needs to be squarely on paying homeless guys to buy beer for you.

 

[JungleBoy]

Hey buddy,
If I were you, I wouldn't be worried about choosing a medical specialty at this point of your life. It's way, way too early for that. The best thing you can do now is to decide whether or not you like medicine. The one advice I'd give you, though, is not to place too much importance on the money you'll get or on how "glamourous" people consider medicine to be. Once you become a med student, and especially once you become a resident/doctor, you won't have 1 minune to even think about this sort of thing. The money is good, but it's definitely not worth going into medicine because of it. No amount of money will pay for all the sacrifices you'll have to go through, if you're not REALLY interested in medicine itself. If you don't love medicine, your life will be miserable.
Medicine is a very dynamic field, both technologicaly and economically speaking. A specialty that pays well and has a good lifestyle today, may be totally different tomorrow. There are several examples of that.
I'd try to make my decision as far as a carreer choice based on more solid information than a picture of a doctor pointing out something on an scan. Try to shadow a radiologist for a day or two, I think that will help you.
All the best,

 

[samsoccer7]

There's discussion over at auntminnie about optho and ENT residency spots being easier to get than rads spots right now. Does anyone agree? It seems kinda ridiculous. They were saying a 234 goes farther for optho or ENT than it does in rads. I say rubbish, but I'm curious.

 

[amnesia]

OK, I will look into career shadowing.... Thanks...

 

[Goober]

Originally posted by Spacedman


in 1985, you couldn't pay people to go into radiology, and MRI barely existed- that's how much things could change by the time your in a white suit reading scans.

and you may want to, umm, update your "image" of radiology. with telerads, you may be sitting in a dark room in your house in your bathrobe, alone, reading scans for 12 hours a day. not quite as romantic, huh?

spaced

Actually in 1985 radiology was fairly still competitive. CT and ultrasound were taking off and there was pretty strong interest. Almost all the graduates from that time went to American medical schools. From the mid 80s to the mid 90s radiology remained competitive. The only time radiology was not competitive was in the 60's, 70's and for about a 3-4 year period during mid to late 1990s.

As far as teleradiology is concerned, I would take working at home in my bathrobe any day over going to a hospital wearing a tie and getting harrassed by clinicians and all the other stuff that comes with working at a hospital.

 

[doc05]

Originally posted by amnesia
Woah, you can combine years? Awesome..


You don't have to be so mean about it... as if you don't want people in your little doctor society.

I've looked at pictures where it shows people in white suits looking at scans and pointing them out and it looked neat

And no I wasn't brainwashed, I am just making choices

you sound pretty pathetic. the fact is that medicine is pretty lame, and 95% of what happens in medicine is a combination of bull---t and repetition. At 16, you should concern yourself with more important things.

 

[doc05]

Originally posted by samsoccer7
There's discussion over at auntminnie about optho and ENT residency spots being easier to get than rads spots right now. Does anyone agree? It seems kinda ridiculous. They were saying a 234 goes farther for optho or ENT than it does in rads. I say rubbish, but I'm curious.

can you provide a link?

 

[Docxter]

Originally posted by samsoccer7
There's discussion over at auntminnie about optho and ENT residency spots being easier to get than rads spots right now. Does anyone agree? It seems kinda ridiculous. They were saying a 234 goes farther for optho or ENT than it does in rads. I say rubbish, but I'm curious.

The mean boards score for people getting interviews this year at my program was 255. Go figure.

 

[amnesia]

I'm glad I sound pathetic. Wouldn't you want to welcome aspiring doctors? I know I would. There are shortages of them.

 

[samsoccer7]

Hey Docxter, from your earlier posts, I'm guessing you're at MGH or another top 5 program, so I'm not surprised by the 255. The top programs in ENT and Optho are probably in similar situations, but I can't say for sure.

 

[Leukocyte]

Dear Amnesia:

Please do not go into a profession because it LOOKS COOL. I met many aspiring Med. Students who already decided to go in to Emergency Medicine after watching the FICTIONAL tv show "ER".
That is realy sad. To me Real World Medicine is like the army-It is cool to watch on TV, but it sucks to be in their boots during a war.

So please, before you decide on a profession do your reseach. And like others suggested, shadow doctors in different areas of medicine to get a taste of their everyday life. This way you will look much more professional to an admission commitee than an applicant who wants to go to the hell that is med. school to become an ER doctor "JUST LIKE Dr. CARTER."

Just my 2 cents

PEACE, and Good Luck.

 

[amnesia]

Believe me, I'm not in it for all the "glory." I shouldn't have said that.

There are a lot of doctors out there I wouldn't trust mydog with - and it IS caused by people thinking it's cool or going in mainly for money.

I don't want to be in that situation.


😉