Can someone comment on the pros/cons of both specialties.
Also would you expect that a student who is very interested in the CNS, would become miserable during a general radiology residency?
Would these descriptors of each field sound accurate ?
Neuroradiology
-higher salary
-higher malpractice
-minimal patient contact
-better lifestyle
- Diagnosis mostly strokes, bleeds, tumors, hydrocephalus
Neurology
- Lower Salary
- Lower Malpractice
- Lots of patient contact
- Broader range of illness
Neuroradiology strictly has to do with imaging of the brain, head, neck, and spine. You learn to interpret CTs, MRIs, angiograms, etc. To get there you will have to do a preliminary year and a radiology residency, followed by a fellowship. During radiology residency, outside of elective time, you will be exposed to about 3-6 months max of pure neuroradiology (out of 5 years). Even as an attending, you will be hard pressed to find a job in which you will be doing strictly reading neuroimages. There will be days you will have to read abdomen, chest, MSK, etc. Salary does tend to be higher for radiologists, as despite cuts in reimbursement, they are still one of the higher paid specialties. Lifestyle is not as cush as it has been historically for radiologists - private practice image volumes are very high and from what I hear, radiology call SUCKS most of the time (as a resident and as an attending).
Neurology is like practicing medicine specifically target at neurological disorders. Neuroscience is a rapidly growing field with the advancements of new modalities of treatment and management for various diseases that were previously not as "treatable." It is a 4 year residency (including one year of preliminary medicine). There are also many subspecialties you can choose to specialize in following residency, from electrophysiology to neuroimmunology. Salaries are generally lower for neurologists than radiologists.
As far as interests, first let me start out by telling you that if you're still in high school, you have a long way to go. Undergraduate work, very rigorous application process for medical school, 4 years of medical school before you're a resident. Your interests will most likely change as you experience fields of medicine you haven't been exposed to. Still, if CNS disease is your passion, there are several fields that can accommodate this - Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuroradiology.
At this point, it depends on what you like the most. If you like diagnosing patients and caring for them in an inpatient and outpatient setting, then neurology may be the field for you. Neurosurgery involves surgical intervention, so if you like cutting, this is what you'll want to gun for. Neuroradiology lacks much direct patient contact, and you will spend most of your time reading images and helping other doctors direct their course of treatment secondary to your diagnostic confirmations. Lifestyle wise, neurology and neuroradiology provides more time outside the hospital. As a neurosurgeon you will be at the hospital a lot more. There are, however, fields of sub-sub-specializations of all fields that have significantly worse lifestyles (i.e neurointerventional surgery/endovascular surgical neuroradiology/interventional neuroradiology).
