Radiology Employment - What You Need To Know

After earning your degree in radiology, it's now time to seek radiology employment. There are a lot of subdivisions of this medical specialty, so that means that there are a vast potential of options that are open for you to gain employment at the health institution of your choice. We will discuss some of those opportunities in this article, as well as what you can do to better improve your chances of earning a high-quality position.

There are two technical classifications for radiology -- diagnostic radiology and therapeutic radiology. Those who get radiology employment in diagnostic radiology generally spend most of their time interpreting images received from administering radiology to help diagnose the disease.

Some specialty options in diagnostic and therapeutic radiology include chest radiology, abdominal and pelvic radiology, body imaging, interventional radiology, vascular radiology, mammography, pediatric radiology, musculoskeletal radiology and nuclear medicine, just to name a few.

As a rule of thumb, radiologist will be trained in all of the important areas of diagnostic radiology. However, to better your chances of employment you can consider subspecialty radiology. For example, musculoskeletal radiology deals mostly with bones, joints and muscular imagery, whereas mammography deals mostly with breast tissue.

When we talk about therapeutic radiology, we mostly refer to radiation therapy. This is a therapy that is often used to treat tumors and cancer. By administering certain amounts of radiation, it can help to stop the reproduction of cancer cells in the body. This is generally referred to as radiotherapy, and a person is now required to be specially certified by the American Board of radiology to perform this medical process.

Naturally, your postgraduate training will influence your employment. Typically, radiologists will have to undergo five years of postgraduate training before their schooling is finished. This is in addition to the four years of medical school that most undergraduate programs require.

After you have completed your postgraduate training, your first position will usually be a residency for four years. During this residency, you will be required to pass various board exams that relate to radiology, such as the technologies of ultrasound, CTs, MRIs, and x-rays and so on.

Article submitted Tuesday, March 18, 2008
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