Potential course of action for a research position in radiology

[Zcr56]

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Hi all,

First off, Apologies if this is in an inappropriate forum. I'm technically Pre-Medical right now but my question is so specific that I figured I'd post in radiology.

I'm very interested in the field of radiology, and while originally I wanted to work at a hospital or private practice, I had experience working with a medical school researcher over this past year and feel like academic radiology would be a good fit for me. My question is, what would be a good path to take if I'm primarily interested in academic research in the field of radiology. Would simply completing the radiology residency and a fellowship prepare me to work in the field, or would I benefit from doing something like an M.D. / PhD program.

One PhD program that interests me is medical physics; would this provide a noticeable advantage to work in research? One concern I have is that a lot of my coursework right now is in life science related fields, and I would need to catch up on advanced physics and math if I wanted to be in an MD/PhD programs, which would likely stretch my undergrad program another couple of years. Is it a possibility to just go into medical school, completely my residency and fellowship, and then work on a PhD afterwards?

Sorry for the wall of questions, any input or advice at all would be much appreciated.

 

[EeePC1005PR]

Hi all,

First off, Apologies if this is in an inappropriate forum. I'm technically Pre-Medical right now but my question is so specific that I figured I'd post in radiology.

I'm very interested in the field of radiology, and while originally I wanted to work at a hospital or private practice, I had experience working with a medical school researcher over this past year and feel like academic radiology would be a good fit for me. My question is, what would be a good path to take if I'm primarily interested in academic research in the field of radiology. Would simply completing the radiology residency and a fellowship prepare me to work in the field, or would I benefit from doing something like an M.D. / PhD program.

One PhD program that interests me is medical physics; would this provide a noticeable advantage to work in research? One concern I have is that a lot of my coursework right now is in life science related fields, and I would need to catch up on advanced physics and math if I wanted to be in an MD/PhD programs, which would likely stretch my undergrad program another couple of years. Is it a possibility to just go into medical school, complete my residency and fellowship, and then work on a PhD afterwards?

Sorry for the wall of questions, any input or advice at all would be much appreciated.

Hello there.

Get into med school. Obtain medical theory. Then get as much clinical exposure as you can. You need rotations through various specialties as that will open your mind to how radiology is relevant to all of them. Then do radiology training. After that, then do your PhD on medical physics etc. This sequence ensures you have sufficient medical knowledge and exposure to stay clinically relevant. Career-wise it also gives you greater flexibility. Alternatively some people who cannot get onto the training program, do spend a few years obtaining a PhD in order to get on the program. But that will be a longer shot.