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deleted564680
You have to decide if you love social interaction in general or specifically patient interaction. Radiology has a lot of social interaction between colleagues, nurses, techs, and other physicians but little interaction with patients unless you're in mamms or IR.
I always valued my interactions with patients and am considered a social person in general, there were just many other factors about patient care that turned me off. If medicine was truly just taking care of patients and talking with them, then it would be a different story.
I always valued my interactions with patients and am considered a social person in general, there were just many other factors about patient care that turned me off. If medicine was truly just taking care of patients and talking with them, then it would be a different story.
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Agree with cubsfan -- I always enjoyed patient interaction and was always commended for good bedside manner, etc, but I found patient care somewhat exhausting and I could see myself getting burnt out over time. I love the social interactions of radiology (you are basically a master consultant) and you get to interact with people all day. There is also a lot of opportunity for patient interaction in radiology, as many subspecialties do their own procedures (i.e. arthrograms in MSK, LPs in neuroradiology, etc) and I actually think radiologists have to have superb people skills, since you have to be able to meet a patient, gain their trust and stick a needle in them within like 15 minutes of meeting them sometimes!
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Exactly what Cubsfan10 and <3 rads said. I always enjoyed patient interaction as well and plenty of attendings, fellow, and residents told me I would be a stellar internist if I stuck with IM, but alas, I still had my mind made up for radiology. All the BS and red tape that comes with patient care can be exhausting, and I especially didn't like dealing with disposition issues even though I was fairly good at it.
Perhaps, contrary to popular belief, radiology does need people skills as you're dealing with physicians and other clinicians throughout the day, and when you're doing procedures on patients, it is ideal to build rapport quickly as these patients are, many times, a little nervous.
Also, depending on how the reading room is set up, you're hanging out with your radiologist colleagues, so if you're with a cool bunch, it can be a pretty fun time.
Perhaps, contrary to popular belief, radiology does need people skills as you're dealing with physicians and other clinicians throughout the day, and when you're doing procedures on patients, it is ideal to build rapport quickly as these patients are, many times, a little nervous.
Also, depending on how the reading room is set up, you're hanging out with your radiologist colleagues, so if you're with a cool bunch, it can be a pretty fun time.
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I plan to go into radiology because I think the role of a radiologist in the bigger picture will fit my interests/strengths/personality. I love meeting all sorts of people, including patients, but this has little bearing on my interest in pursuing radiology at this point. All of the radiologist I've met are very friendly and talkative...not the types who seem to have chosen radiology due to extreme introversion or other social quirks.
