Radiology is a wide ranging field, including several different categories and responsibilities, which also mean the salary range can be highly variable. A person who chooses a career path in radiology will need to understand the choices they need to make and what to expect in the future.

What are Radiology Jobs?

Physicians: Radiologists are physicians who have specialized in general radiology after graduating medical school. Their responsibilities are primarily focus around diagnosis based on imaging studies. As any radiologist will attest, imaging studies in the absence of clinical context are not regularly useful - so strong training in basic clinical medicine is a must.

In addition to diagnostic imaging, radiologist jobs often include image-based interventions like endoscopic stenting or occulsion of neurovasculature (brain blood vessels) and CT-guided biopsies.

With the wide implementation of high-speed internet and digital imaging, much of the diagnostic radiology can now be done remotely. This means that many employment positions for radiologists can be at a great distance from the employing hospital. This has lead to some outsourcing of "film reading" and telemedicine opporutnities for part-time or locum tenens work.

Radiology Technicians: This group of jobs does not require an M.D., but does require specialized training in operating and maintaining imaging equipment. There is a variety of types of radiological imaging systems, including straight forward X-ray machines, CT-scanners, P.E.T. scanners, MRI scanners, ultrasound machines and endocscopy systems. Radialogy tech jobs are abundant, and require a mix of technical knowledge and sensitivity while working with patients.

Radiology Jobs are More Available than Ever

There is a growing need for professionals in the medical field. This is primarily due to an ageing of the U.S. population and general population growth. Because of this, people seeking positions as either radiologists or radiation technicians will find plenty of opportunities, depending upon their specialty and location.

Obviously, a number of factors can affect the amount a radiologist's salary can expect to be paid. The location and the style of the hiring medical facility will have a direct impact on pay rate. Additionally, the radiologist’s specialty and subspecialty will also affect the pay scale. An interventional radiologist can expect a salary ranging from $300,000 all the way to $900,000 depending upon location, experience, and subspecialty.

There are a number of ways to locate the right radiology jobs - the most effective is the dedicated physician job search tool on MomMD. In order to involve a productive search, one should consider where they wish to work and what they wish to be paid. In addition, a person can go through a physician recruiter in order to locate a number of radiology jobs available in their specific sub specialty.

Other Radiology Jobs Resources

Wikipedia information on radiologists

A physician recruiter site