no patient contact?

[eklope2000]

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Is it possible to have absolutely no patient contact as a radiologist? Is this typical? If not, in what way do radiologists deal with patients?

 

[ljl1982]

Is it possible to have absolutely no patient contact as a radiologist? Is this typical? If not, in what way do radiologists deal with patients?

First of all, a quote I heard from a radiology attending during my surgery rotation: "Patient contact is not the same thing as patient care."

On my radiology rotation at my school, there are a few areas where I've seen radiology residents have contact with patients:
-ultrasound-guided biopsies/FNA
-CT-guided procedures
-performing ultrasound examinations
-GI studies
-and of course, if you are interested, there is Interventional Radiology

 

[f_w]

Is it possible to have absolutely no patient contact as a radiologist?

Why would you want that ?

Is this typical?

Not typical. But there are rads who don't see any patients. E.g. working in a outpatient imaging center without mammo or US.

If not, in what way do radiologists deal with patients?

In general radiology

- mammo patients to discuss results of a diagnostic mammogram
- mammo procedures, stereotactic biopsies and localizations
- US guided biopsies e.g. thyroid or liver
- fluoroscopy studies

Interventional radiology

- in everything we do