Greetings,
Newbie so flame on, basically looking for any info on radiology programs in the State of Florida. I am completely changing careers (Air Traffic Control Officer in the Air Force) and have no clue about getting into radiology. I was wondering if someone can direct me to a good thread on how to start etc. All I currently have is a BA in Management so I understand I'll be heading back to get some more medical focused courses. I held a 3.67 GPA through college so I hope I can hack the higher education training, I'm going to give it a shot but just need some honest advice on time it will take, what schooling I need to do, etc.
Thanks!
I'll assume that you want to be the guy that READS the films (radiologist, MD/DO) not the guy that takes them (Rad Tech - a 2 year program).
#1 check the pre-allo and pre-osteo forums for much, much more info.
I am part-way through the same career change process. Admission to medical school is VERY competitive, though your GPA is a good start. As stated above you'll need to take (and ace) a year of each of those pre-reqs. You can take them all at the same time except for General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. So the pre-medical school process for you will be AT LEAST 2 years. You'll also need a B.S./B.A. (Almost every med school wants you to have one these days.
You'll need to take the the MCAT. It's really hard. A score that will get you IN is generally considered to be a 30 or above. This isn't entirely accurate, it can be done with a lower score, but that's a good goal to shoot for.
There are two paths to practicing medicine in the U.S. You can choose to go to an MD school or a DO school. Depending on the part of the country you live in, you may or may not have heard of DO's since they only make up about 10-15% of the physician population. They are basically the same as MD's although the schools are typically more accepting of non-traditional (i.e. older) students. It has been argued that it is more difficult to get into competitive specialties (radiology) as a DO, although there are a lot of DO rads, so it can be done. For more info check wikipedia or the preosteo forum.
Assuming you get into a medical school, that is 4 years. After year 2 you take the USMLE (or COMLEX+USMLE for DO's) exam. You want to get a score > 230 on this test for radiology. This test is also hard.
Then, you graduate med school and "match" into radiology, based on your scores and rotations at places and interviews. That training is a 1 year internship followed by 4 years of radiology.
If you start this fall, your school will take: 2+4+1+4=11 years. It's a long time. Obviously, I think it's worth it. Hopefully you will too. It's a great gig as long as you're prepared for the time.
One final note:
This process is VERY, VERY expensive. 2 years of undergrad tuition+4 years of med school tuition+MCAT (at least once=$300)+applicaiton fees (I spent around $2000 or so)+interview expenses (travel, hotels)+USMLE fees+residency interview travel expenses...
And, you have to live. I wouldn't work very much because getting A's in these classes is tough. Oh, and you also must volunteer and get medical experience. The more the better.
Hope that helps!!! Phew!
