Is Radiology for me?

[emilie15]

Hey there,
I'm just applying for Med schools and was thinking into the future wondering if I was to become a doctor what would I like to specialize in, I'm pretty sure i'd be too squeamish for surgery, but I'd like to do something interesting. I've always been keen on/interested in the radiology part of medicine and i'm good at maths and science (which i'm told is important)
My only concern is that I am quite a sociable person and I think it is important for me to work along side other people or preferably in a team of people. Do you think radiology would therefore not be suitable as I'm told you spend a lot of time alone analyzing stuff etc etc, is there any other specialities that you can suggest would be better?
Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[penguin24]

There certainly are more 'social' fields of medicine, such as Internal med, psych, etc. Rads is a more thinking/analyzing field (from my limited experience) where there can be interaction, but maybe more w/ other docs and less w/ patients. I don't see what math has to do w/ Rads though.

Every field has its downsides, even the 'social' fields like Internal med, psych, etc. So I guess whether or not Rads is suitable for you would be to compare the downsides of Rads w/ the downsides of social fields and see how they stack up. For me, the downsides of the social fields outweighed the downsides of Rads.

 

[loljkttyl]

You could consider rad onc.

 

[Amxcvbcv]

What do you mean by social fields? Radiologists talk to people all day (and I don't mean to just the dictaphone).

 

[digitlnoize]

Hey there,
I'm just applying for Med schools and was thinking into the future wondering if I was to become a doctor what would I like to specialize in, I'm pretty sure i'd be too squeamish for surgery, but I'd like to do something interesting. I've always been keen on/interested in the radiology part of medicine and i'm good at maths and science (which i'm told is important)
My only concern is that I am quite a sociable person and I think it is important for me to work along side other people or preferably in a team of people. Do you think radiology would therefore not be suitable as I'm told you spend a lot of time alone analyzing stuff etc etc, is there any other specialities that you can suggest would be better?
Thanks

What makes you think you'd be too squeamish for surg? You'd be surprised what you'll get used to. During lectures most of classmates still go "ewwww" at some pretty nasty pictures...but after working in an ER for a couple years, I'm used to it. I was also a bit squeamish before that...you get desensitized.

Also don't forget that you'll have to deal with 2 years of med school rotation ickiness, followed by Internship ickiness. Be ready to deal with that.

If you're sociable, I'd throw a few other things into the mix as possibilities. Look into anesthesia. Look into IM (and it's subspecialties). Read the "choosing a medical specialty book." Try taking the specialty aptitude tests (UVA and U of Buffalo...google). Wait until 3rd year to make a real decision. You never know...you'll probably wind up in surgery.

That being said, Rads is a great field. They all are...if you like the work.

 

[Labslave]

What do you mean by social fields? Radiologists talk to people all day (and I don't mean to just the dictaphone).

This is a really important point. To quote a recent poster on this forum a while back: Being a radiologist doesn't mean that you're not a people person, it's just that patients aren't your kind of people.

 

[penguin24]

What do you mean by social fields? Radiologists talk to people all day (and I don't mean to just the dictaphone).

Yes, I'm aware that Radiologists talk to ppl all day. What I meant by social fields is that there is more social interaction w/ patients. Primary care doctors, especially in clinic setting, are always shooting the breeze w/ their patients, talking about sports, little Johnny's 5th grade play, where they're going on vacation, etc. Sure, radiologists talk to people all day, but I don't think it's on the same level as a primary care doctor.

 

[Green Grass]

This is a really important point. To quote a recent poster on this forum a while back: Being a radiologist doesn't mean that you're not a people person, it's just that patients aren't your kind of people.

haha, well put!

 

[emilie15]

aw, thanks, those comments have been really helpful, also i am pretty
squeamish which worries me, i fainted at my blood test a couple of years ago and also whenever we were doing dissecting of animals hearts in biology at college was always the one who had to sit down (so embarrassing!) its not that i find it disgusting, in fact I had i was fascinated by dissecting the heart and had good fun but I just all off a sudden become dizzy and lightheaded!
Hopefully, like you say, i'll grow out of that in time!
did that UVA test, came out with pretty good/useful results as well so thanks

Rank Specialty Score
1 aerospace med 44
2 pediatrics 42
3 physical med & rehabilitation 41
4 nephrology 41
5 radiology 40
6 preventive med 39
7 occupational med 39
8 obstetrics/gynecology 39
9 med oncology 39
10 emergency med 39
11 dermatology 39
12 radiation oncology 39

Now i just need to look into these with more detail!

 

[emilie15]

Try taking the specialty aptitude tests (UVA and U of Buffalo...google).

i found the UVA one but failed to find the U of Buffalo one? is it still available online?

cheers
xx

 

[digitlnoize]

i found the UVA one but failed to find the U of Buffalo one? is it still available online?

cheers
xx

It's a little hard to find. This should get you there...

http://www.smbs.buffalo.edu/RESIDENT/CareerCounseling/main_menu.htm

Also, remember to take these things with a grain of salt. Besides the obvious, I believe these were both designed a number of years back, and certain qualities of certain specialties may have changed since then...and many more certainly will change by the time you enter practice.

It's much better to make the decision based on what you enjoy, than on what a test/book/salary survey says.

As far as the blood thing goes: I'd try and desensitize yourself to it a bit. Watch some medical TV shows on discovery or what not. Hell, go watch Dexter. Great show. But, good amount of blood. If you're ok with seeing it on TV, then take the next step. Get some bloody steaks and cook them. Go volunteer in a hospital/ER and see what you can handle. It will get better with time and practice...just watch, you'll probably wind up in surgery.

 

[J ROD]

Buffalo:

I should clearly do EM!! It was 30 points lower than the rest...

Rads was last!!

 

[J ROD]

Virginia:

EM was first again!!! 47

Rads was 2nd this time with path 44



Good thing I got EM ranked as my #1 then...

 

[Taurus]

My only concern is that I am quite a sociable person and I think it is important for me to work along side other people or preferably in a team of people. Do you think radiology would therefore not be suitable as I'm told you spend a lot of time alone analyzing stuff etc etc, is there any other specialities that you can suggest would be better?

You socialize in radiology. You socialize with other physicians, not patients. You're the "consultant" to the ordering physician. Talking to patients is waaay over-rated in medicine if you ask me. There is a time pressure in medicine these days. No matter what field you go into medicine, you have to be efficient and try to get the patient out the door as fast as possible. This is true in FP, IM, peds, etc. You don't have time to chitchat for very long. If you're slow and like to talk, then you won't be productive and you won't have a very successful practice. I also find that when you talk to patients you have to dumb down what you say and you have to explain basic concepts to them. It gets annoying after a while because these patients bog you down and you have so many other patients to see. When you talk to physicians, you are talking to someone at your level so there is no need to do those things.

 

[lizhaoruixin]

hey,

welcome join in Radiology family.
according to what you said, I think you will be a good doctor in future.
radiology, including three parts, X-RAY,ct,MRI
somebody said that PET/CT shuld be adopt,do you agree?

 

[gman33]

Just did the buffalo test. Diagnostic rads came out number 1.
Funny, because it is nowhere near the top in my mental list right now.
Guess I should take another look...