what is a radiologist?

<p>my aunt was telling me it was a pretty easy job and requires no surgery or anything...can anyone tell me more about it, what the average salary is, and what it takes to become one?</p>

<p>[url=<a href="http://www.google.com%5DGoogle%5B/url"&gt;http://www.google.com]Google[/url&lt;/a&gt;]
[url=<a href="http://www.wikipedia.org%5DWikipedia%5B/url"&gt;http://www.wikipedia.org]Wikipedia[/url&lt;/a&gt;]&lt;/p>

<p>One reason radiology is popular is because of the schedule, radiologists work very few days/month</p>

<p>I wouldn't say it's easy at all. They are physicians with all the stresses that come with that. They do carry malpractice insurance, and a lot of the time, there is a huge amount of responsibility placed on them. They're the ones who are called in on potentially different diagnoses, and like any other doctor, missing a diagnosis can be fatal. Improper diagnoses can lead to unnecessary pain, danger, and expense. Looking at the films they look at can get tiresome, and many of the radiologists I know are absolutely miserable with what they see as the monotony of their jobs. Also, interventional radiologists perform many procedures like flouroscopy. As with any other MD or DO, becoming a radiologist entails 4 years of college for undergrad, 4 years of medical school, and a 4 year residency. In this case, the residency is one of the highly competitive ROAD specialties. This job is not easy, and you will not become rich in any sense as a radiologist. I'm not trying to be too negative here, but I would like to give you a realistic outlook on what becoming a radiologist involves. If you feel like going to medical school might be the right path for you, do the best you can in college with the pre-med reqs and get some experience in a clinical environment. Examine your reasons for your goal, and good luck if you decide to follow this path.
Link for interventional radiology procedures:
<a href="http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/sitemap/category.cfm?category=ir%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/sitemap/category.cfm?category=ir&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I wouldn't say Radiology is an easy field, either. As stated, you have a large amount of responsibility placed on you to "make the right calls." Make the wrong ones, and it can be a very, very big deal.</p>

<p>As for training and education, it is every bit as difficult and grueling as any other MD or DO specialty.</p>

<p>I recommend you shadow a Radiologist near you and see what the job is like firsthand. Then decide if you like it. If you don't like it, then I have to advise not going into it, regardless of the potential salary. Wealth comes in more colors than green, so to speak. lol</p>