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What is it like to be a radiologist?

What should I do if I want to become a radiologist?

  • I am currently in 11th grade, and I am interested in becoming a radiologist. My aunt told me to go to India right after 12th grade, and start medical school there, because it will take six to seven years versus getting a bachelors then going to medical school in the U.S. After I finish medical school in India I want to transfer to the U.S. and become a radiologist. So my questions are: Would it benefit me to go to India right after senior year and go to medical school there? What are the good medical schools in India, in which I could transfer to the U.S. afterwards? Would it be hard for me to becoming a radiologist, given that I am a B+ student? -If you could please just answer these few question, that would be really helpful. And also if you have any suggestions for me, that would also be helpful. Thank you. =]

  • Answer:

    getting your m.d. in india is a bad idea- you would have to come to the us, take the exams all over again, and may even need to take courses at med school here that youve already taken. keep in mind that medical school is more competitive than it has ever been this year (7,000-8,000 students for every 150 spots on average), and its expected to continue to get more competitive every year from now on, and only students from the best schools will get internships in radiology, as it is one of the most competitive and challenging fields, and those schools are in the us. why do you specifically want to be a radiologist? do you really know what they do specifically, and what the job is like? you have to be in it for the right reason and i find a lot of kids are saying they want to be a very specific type of doctor way too early because they saw it on tv, or they think its sounds impressive, which are obviously the wrong reasons and wont make it. you have to be at the top of your med school class to get matched into that particular type of residency, and you must be better than just a b+ student in high school to get through undergrad let alone med school and end up on top. you need at the very least a 3.6-3.7 gpa (which will probably be low by todays standards) with stellar mcat scores and impressive research under your belt to get into any medical school, and to be a radiologist you have to excel at science and math- even more than the rest of the med school class (be aware that to be ANY type of doctor, you need to be stellar at science and math, radiologists need to be even better). college is much harder than high school so a b+ in hs would be significantly lower in college- the classes are much more rigorous. not to mention, to be considered for med school, you must take very academically challenging and impressive-sounding courses in undergrad, all while getting as many A's as humanly possible. students with 4.0s are rejected every year, so yes, it will be hard for you to become a radiologist- its hard for even straight A students- it is brutal and the most challenging thing i have ever done.

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I've talked to many physicians who studied in India and then came to the US. They've all told me that it is not worth it. Yes, you will become a doctor much faster if you go to India but when you come to work in the US, you will not be treated with as much respect as US-trained physicians. The IMGs (international medical graduates) that I know are, for many reasons, treated as if they have very little medical training, which might or might not be true. In hospitals where I've worked, there isn't a positive opinion on the IMGs. They're almost treated like a burden (this is what I've seen). On top of that, if you come to the US to do your residency, you'll have to take the USMLE tests which take a while to study for. You won't have a job during this time so you'll have to support yourself somehow (spouse working, etc). The Indian doctors I know found those years very hard, in terms of marriage and finances. If you are planning to practice in the US eventually, just go to med school in the US. Yes, you'll have to get your bachelor's degree. But that is a life experience in itself. It's your last chance to learn something new, something you've always been interested in but never had the opportunity to do. Study a foreign language; learn to paint; learn music. Anything. Those four years in undergrad are generally good for people. In those years, I really cemented my love for medicine. Just out of high school, I was interested in medicine but I wasn't mature enough (intellectually) to fully consider how medicine would affect my life (family, lifestyle, etc). I grew up a lot in undergrad. Now, I feel like I am ready for the medical field. I have a better idea of what it demands and I feel ready to face those demands. If you have your heart set on medicine, look into the 6-yr or 7-yr combined BS-MD programs (I know Northwestern in Chicago has one; UCSD has one, lots of colleges do). Yes, medicine is hard. Every aspect of it is draining and demanding. You have to know that it's right for you. Volunteer. Shadow doctors. Work in all types of clinics. And try to be open-minded in terms of which speciality you will work in. You might know a lot about radiology, but you don't know whether you will be good at it. So, wait until 3rd or 4th year of med school to decide your speciality. Good luck!

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