Pride with calling yourself a radiologist?

[SamuelTesla]

I was a surgical resident. I finished 3 years. Realized I hated my life, with no time to spend with wife and kids. I got out, applied to Radiology, and got accepted. I'm starting in 2 months.

My problem is... I'm not able to tell people I'm now a radiology resident. I used to always call myself a surgical resident. I mean no insult to the radiology profession... but I was hoping someone could help me see things correctly? Do we call ourselves doctors? How do you introduce yourself?

I used to run trauma codes... code blues.. the entire TICU by myself. I won't be doing any of those things anymore (and I'm happy that way). But those are the things that made me proud to call myself a doctor. Any help appreciated...

And I dont plan on doing IR... too similar to surgery lifestyle. But I understand there will always be some interventions that all radiologists will have to do.

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[Radology]

Do we call ourselves doctors?

Yes

How do you introduce yourself?

As a radiologist.

those are the things that made me proud to call myself a doctor. Any help appreciated...

Your post reeks of insecurity, and I’m not sure you will be happy in this field If your only idea of a “doctor” is running codes and being elbow deep in a patients peritoneal cavity.

You are going to be working behind the scenes. Plenty Patients whose studies you read won’t know you exist. Plenty of Doctors who order the studies won’t read your reports. Ordering Doctors will make you reword studies in ways that make they prefer and you will swallow your pride and do it, because you will get the F out that door at 5 pm on the dot, see your kids, get in a workout, hang out with your wife, sleep 8 hours, wake up at 730, and roll back into the hospital to fresh stack of cases, all while making more money and having more vacation time than the doctors who “hate their lives” as you experienced.

you will have patients lives in your hands every day. It will just be a more passive and indirect role. You can be embarrassed in your new role or you can embrace it. Trust me my friend, you will not regret your decision

 

[SamuelTesla]

Yes



As a radiologist.



Your post reeks of insecurity, and I’m not sure you will be happy in this field If your only idea of a “doctor” is running codes and being elbow deep in a patients peritoneal cavity.

You are going to be working behind the scenes. Plenty Patients whose studies you read won’t know you exist. Plenty of Doctors who order the studies won’t read your reports. Ordering Doctors will make you reword studies in ways that make they prefer and you will swallow your pride and do it, because you will get the F out that door at 5 pm on the dot, see your kids, get in a workout, hang out with your wife, sleep 8 hours, wake up at 730, and roll back into the hospital to fresh stack of cases, all while making more money and having more vacation time than the doctors who “hate their lives” as you experienced.

you will have patients lives in your hands every day. It will just be a more passive and indirect role. You can be embarrassed in your new role or you can embrace it. Trust me my friend, you will not regret your decision

I love your post. Thanks.

 

[Dro133]

Radiologists were some of the most knowledgeable doctors I met on my rotations. I was honestly in awe at times; not only did they have a grasp on seemingly every pathological entity there was, but they could describe the supporting imaging findings as well. It's almost as if they were masters of two different fields (medicine and imaging). I couldn't imagine not feeling pride having that kind of knowledge.

 

[Dave1980]

I introduce myself as Dave1980 to everyone except patients who I introduce myself as Dr. David1980. Pretty simple stuff.

 

[meister]

You’re not able to state your soon-to-be job...? Strange. I think you need to figure out why that is. Get off on the ego of medicine and people thinking you’re a surgeon? You won’t find that constant societal BJ in this field. If you can make your peace with that then go for it. If not, I’d steer clear.

 

[DOFOSHO]

its difficult because you're not a radiology resident yet and you don't know what it means to be one. soon you'll find out and it will become very comfortable.

 

[senseigmg]

Almost 25% of my radiology program came from surgery or a surgical specialty. Of them, most don't want to go back to that lifestyle, and the few of us doing IR know what we're getting into already.

My problem is... I'm not able to tell people I'm now a radiology resident.

You're not, you're still in surgery until July 1. I'm not seeing what the issue is besides a "hit" to your ego. You're basically telling yourself that anybody who doesn't perform heroic actions in the ICU or run trauma codes isn't a real doctor. If you want to be the face of saving lives, the dark room isn't going to be fun for the next 4-30+ years.

 

[Purple&Gold]

Woah! Seriously!! Are you that dumb?

The radiologist has classically been called “the doctor’s doctor” .... practically every day I have senior attending surgeons waiting with bated breath for my interpretations and guidelines from imaging studies - what “I” say, as a radiologist (!), determines their approach and management of patients. The amount of idiotic things I’ve encountered caused by bumbling trauma surgeons and residents would astound you! Yes there are some great surgeons out there but there are a lot of atrociously bad surgical residents who know nothing (and of course assume they can read radiology!). Please!!

Running codes is acute/intensive care work and someone has to do it - radiologists are beyond that and wouldn’t particularly enjoy doing it anymore! Be glad that you’ve made a smart decision to join radiology - now, put on your big pants and pull up your socks! Walk with your head up and proudly say your Dr. (insert your name), radiologist!

 

[19pieces19]

To all the radiologists in this thread, how similar is the IR lifestyle to surgical lifestyle? One reason I shied away from surgery is the insane workload it takes. I thought IR was a bit more humane in that aspect. What is the actual lifestyle like? There seem to be mixed opinions on here

and it seems like there's a lot of attrition after matching?
What Radiology And IR/DR Programs Don't Tell Applicants About Interventional Radiology! - RadsResident

Can I get the opinion of the DRs and IRs of this forum on this topic?

 

[Dave1980]

To all the radiologists in this thread, how similar is the IR lifestyle to surgical lifestyle? One reason I shied away from surgery is the insane workload it takes. I thought IR was a bit more humane in that aspect. What is the actual lifestyle like? There seem to be mixed opinions on here

and it seems like there's a lot of attrition after matching?
What Radiology And IR/DR Programs Don't Tell Applicants About Interventional Radiology! - RadsResident

Can I get the opinion of the DRs and IRs of this forum on this topic?

Dude...

Start a new thread...

 

[JRY6788]

I was a surgical resident. I finished 3 years. Realized I hated my life, with no time to spend with wife and kids. I got out, applied to Radiology, and got accepted. I'm starting in 2 months.

My problem is... I'm not able to tell people I'm now a radiology resident. I used to always call myself a surgical resident. I mean no insult to the radiology profession... but I was hoping someone could help me see things correctly? Do we call ourselves doctors? How do you introduce yourself?

I used to run trauma codes... code blues.. the entire TICU by myself. I won't be doing any of those things anymore (and I'm happy that way). But those are the things that made me proud to call myself a doctor. Any help appreciated...

And I dont plan on doing IR... too similar to surgery lifestyle. But I understand there will always be some interventions that all radiologists will have to do.

This almost seems like it was written as a troll post to get people riled up, but if you're actually posing these question(s) seriously, then I would strongly reconsider choosing radiology, and medicine in general. It seems like the first time around you were more focused on telling family and friends you were a surgeon and didn't understand the surgical field as a profession. Honestly, it still seems the main reason you chose medicine as a profession was to call yourself a doctor. Really think hard about radiology. Work on getting your insecurities in check, and maybe think about switching your career focus (telling your friends you're a lawyer sounds cool too, don't worry). If you switched into Rads just because the lifestyle is more manageable than surgery, and still don't understand what a radiologist does (and how essential/vital they are to the medical care of every single patient) then I can almost guarantee you are going to be miserable.

 

[Kaputt]

To all the radiologists in this thread, how similar is the IR lifestyle to surgical lifestyle? One reason I shied away from surgery is the insane workload it takes. I thought IR was a bit more humane in that aspect. What is the actual lifestyle like? There seem to be mixed opinions on here

and it seems like there's a lot of attrition after matching?
What Radiology And IR/DR Programs Don't Tell Applicants About Interventional Radiology! - RadsResident

Can I get the opinion of the DRs and IRs of this forum on this topic?

IR has a crazy workload
It's not very humane
Plus you're draining pus a lot of the time, which is gross
I much prefer sitting in a dark room looking at pretty pictures and describing them, which is more my thing

 

[deleted950463]

IR has a crazy workload
It's not very humane
Plus you're draining pus a lot of the time, which is gross
I much prefer sitting in a dark room looking at pretty pictures and describing them, which is more my thing

My sister is an IR. She consider herself a minimally invasive/endovascular surgeon because that’s literally what those procedures are.

 

[19pieces19]

My sister is an IR. She consider herself a minimally invasive/endovascular surgeon because that’s literally what those procedures are.

How does she like her lifestyle?

 

[deleted950463]

How does she like her lifestyle?

It’s surgical during training. Slightly easier than surgical as an attending. Probably 60-65 hrs a week starting out and may go down more as a more senior faculty I think.

 

[recycledpaper]

Someone has been watching too much Grey's Anatomy.

 

[YoungDoc25]

IR has a crazy workload
It's not very humane
Plus you're draining pus a lot of the time, which is gross
I much prefer sitting in a dark room looking at pretty pictures and describing them, which is more my thing

Do you see that changing though as IR develops more as a field? I feel like niches in things like oncology and women’s health could lend to more controllable lifestyles, but I have next to 0 experience to back that up

 

[deleted950463]

Do you see that changing though as IR develops more as a field? I feel like niches in things like oncology and women’s health could lend to more controllable lifestyles, but I have next to 0 experience to back that up

IR will always be like a surgical specialty. Outpt opportunities are around and may increase, but IRs are surgeons. Surgeon can try to do similar things to IR (poorly) and call themselves endovascular surgeons...

 

[tco]

Do you see that changing though as IR develops more as a field? I feel like niches in things like oncology and women’s health could lend to more controllable lifestyles, but I have next to 0 experience to back that up

There are outpatient labs. Some labs do only venous work. Some labs do higher end procedures like TACE and PAD cases. The outpatient jobs are usually no call, 8-5 etc. Those are pretty rare.

Overall, the practice is going to vary. 7 AM- 7PM, or equivalent hours, is a normal day. Some people say they don't like doing drains...That also depends on your practice. Some places have general body imagers doing drains and lines. Remember that we're only exposed to academics until it's time to pick our career, and academics is the minority of practices.

 

[DoctorMedicine]

I think this has to do with general population not knowing what radiologists do because we work in the background. I went back to visit my family in Asia last month after matching into radiology and realize that most of my family and friends think that radiologists are what we call radiology techs in U.S.
It is kind of frustrating to think that they don't see it as a "doctor" doctor, but you need to swallow that pride. Just because patients don't see us, doesn't mean we are not doctor. We're proud of being doctors and we don't need anyone/ the general population to approve.

 

[DOFOSHO]

I think this has to do with general population not knowing what radiologists do because we work in the background. I went back to visit my family in Asia last month after matching into radiology and realize that most of my family and friends think that radiologists are what we call radiology techs in U.S.
It is kind of frustrating to think that they don't see it as a "doctor" doctor, but you need to swallow that pride. Just because patients don't see us, doesn't mean we are not doctor. We're proud of being doctors and we don't need anyone/ the general population to approve.

try being in my shoes, a DO in radiology residency and your family thinking you are a radiology tech at a chiropracter's office....

 

[Kaputt]

Do you see that changing though as IR develops more as a field? I feel like niches in things like oncology and women’s health could lend to more controllable lifestyles, but I have next to 0 experience to back that up

I'm seen those UFE patients, no thanks. They're crazy

 

[andrewbobert]

I'm a third year who is applying to DR come September. I've had some DR exposure over the year and just started a DR rotation. I have felt set on DR for a while now as it hits a lot of my checkboxes for how I see my life, but since starting the rotation, I've realized maybe I won't feel as fulfilled doing radiology just because the way radiologists help patients is so passive and indirect. Any advice on how to get over this hump?

I just want to make sure that I will feel fulfilled working as a radiologist even though I'll hardly see any patients that directly benefit from my reads. Is it because I'm in a passive role as a student now and you get that more of that fulfillment as a resident/attending as you learn?

 

[colbgw02]

I'm a third year who is applying to DR come September. I've had some DR exposure over the year and just started a DR rotation. I have felt set on DR for a while now as it hits a lot of my checkboxes for how I see my life, but since starting the rotation, I've realized maybe I won't feel as fulfilled doing radiology just because the way radiologists help patients is so passive and indirect. Any advice on how to get over this hump?

I just want to make sure that I will feel fulfilled working as a radiologist even though I'll hardly see any patients that directly benefit from my reads. Is it because I'm in a passive role as a student now and you get that more of that fulfillment as a resident/attending as you learn?

I would say that no matter where you are in your career as a radiologist, you have to be okay with working in the background. The overwhelming majority of patients won't have the first clue how much you helped them or even that you're a physician. The flip side is that you will deal with only a small fraction of the BS that a lot of other specialties have to handle.

 

[Norick13]

....I'm in a passive role as a student now and you get that more of that fulfillment as a resident/attending as you learn?

So if you practice in a vacuum w/o any clinician interaction I can totally see how you feel like you’re producing reports and sending them off into the ether.

In actuality, most clinicians have no idea what they’re ordering, how to interpret what they order, or what to do with the results once they get them (obvious over generalization, but bare with me).

The fulfillment comes when you have clicians showing up, not really knowing where to proceed, and you help them understand the results of whatever study they’ve ordered. To me, it’s immensely satisfying to see that ‘ah ha,’ moment happen as they figure out what their next clinical step will be.

Are you ever going to have a patient say thank you after you perform an intervention? Not really, unless you do breast imaging or very niche IR. But as someone who used to delivery babies, meh, you get over that fast when performing such interventions.

You have reflect on what makes you happen at the end of the day, because every single job in medicine becomes routine. To me, I like teaching. The little bit of teaching I get throughout the day is enough for me, especially when I see how happy my attending are. My OB attending were not nearly as happy, especially the older ones.

 

[Chemdude]

You'll swallow your pride when you're an attending radiologist making significantly more than a general surgeon without the stressful surgical lifestyle. Your future self will thank you...

 

[Smallfishtinypond]

The feelings of being a doctor, the first hurdle of contemplating being a radiologist!

Norick13 is spot on.

I know it sounds like a cliche when you hear "you don't have to wear a cape to be a hero...", but hear me out.

I am very casual and always introduce myself to other physicians by my first name. To patient, I introduce myself as full name, " Hi, I am Kevin James, I am a radiologist and I will perform this exam..." Have I felt that there was a lack of respect from my encounters with physicians and patients sometimes? Yes, at the beginning.

Sometimes, during a IR or Fluoro procedures, the patients refer back to me in my first name, especially with an older patient. My techs in the room are good at referring back to me as Dr. James. I usually explain my findings and its meaning to the patients during and after the procedures. They always appreciate it and address me by the end of the procedures as Dr. James. I know many rads do not even speak to patients. Don't be that guy.

Same things with physicians. Assist them with your expertise in both technical and medical knowledge. Do that, and the respect will come to you. Show them your added value without screaming " I am important and a doctor, too". I used to have Orthopods and General Surg insinuate that they do not need us. True, some of them are capable of interpreting some images and findings. However, There will be time they run into difficulties and they will need help. And there will always be problem to solve, what to order, how to address a particular question that they have...Help them with your expertise. They will come again. Respect is always earned.

You will be the top expert of your hospital in Medical Imaging and people will come to you for help. Always try to be helpful to all. A real king never needs to tell people that he is the king.

Eventually, you will feel like you are a doctor. Your colleagues and patients will.

 

[andrewbobert]

The feelings of being a doctor, the first hurdle of contemplating being a radiologist!

Norick13 is spot on.

I know it sounds like a cliche when you hear "you don't have to wear a cape to be a hero...", but hear me out.

I am very casual and always introduce myself to other physicians by my first name. To patient, I introduce myself as full name, " Hi, I am Kevin James, I am a radiologist and I will perform this exam..." Have I felt that there was a lack of respect from my encounters with physicians and patients sometimes? Yes, at the beginning.

Sometimes, during a IR or Fluoro procedures, the patients refer back to me in my first name, especially with an older patient. My techs in the room are good at referring back to me as Dr. James. I usually explain my findings and its meaning to the patients during and after the procedures. They always appreciate it and address me by the end of the procedures as Dr. James. I know many rads do not even speak to patients. Don't be that guy.

Same things with physicians. Assist them with your expertise in both technical and medical knowledge. Do that, and the respect will come to you. Show them your added value without screaming " I am important and a doctor, too". I used to have Orthopods and General Surg insinuate that they do not need us. True, some of them are capable of interpreting some images and findings. However, There will be time they run into difficulties and they will need help. And there will always be problem to solve, what to order, how to address a particular question that they have...Help them with your expertise. They will come again. Respect is always earned.

You will be the top expert of your hospital in Medical Imaging and people will come to you for help. Always try to be helpful to all. A real king never needs to tell people that he is the king.

Eventually, you will feel like you are a doctor. Your colleagues and patients will.

Awesome! Thanks for the insight. I think I'm set on rads, but one aspect that's holding me back is the lack of patient contact. In private practice radiology, is it possible to see patients and do some procedures during the day? I know during residency there are tons of procedures, but how realistic is it to do like 3-5 procedures just to see some patients in a day to get out of the reading room?

 

[Smallfishtinypond]

@andrewbobert . The short answer is yes and yes. I am doing that at my job. But it will depend on the job and you will get to find what fits you on the job interview trails. Don't be discouraged by what you see in training as academia may not set up that way. PP is a different story.

 

[deleted684448]

I'm gonna share a story from my attending. He was reading an outpatient CT done for some random reason and pick up a small abnormality in the abdomen. Turn out to be cancer that was caught in an early state. The patient now request that particular doctor to read all her study.

This happen on multiple occasion where people he never knows thank him for the findings in make at random once they find out who he is. This isn't a field of instant gratification, but one of delayed gratification.

 

[Taurus]

I care more about my time off and my bank account than what others think.

 

[Tiredsuperheroine]

IR has a crazy workload
It's not very humane
Plus you're draining pus a lot of the time, which is gross
I much prefer sitting in a dark room looking at pretty pictures and describing them, which is more my thing

I love draining pus. It's instant gratification, which doctors don't get very often. It is a mental break from the more challenging/ technical, gut wrenching cases, which leave you drenched but are gratifying in a different way.

If you like fixing people, it's a great field.