Career: Physician and Medical School Essay

Submitted By ryanjav
Words: 1546
Pages: 7

Radiologist Physician Career My career research choice is a radiologist physician. I assumed that a 4-year undergraduate college education and post-graduate medical school would best lead me to this profession. I definitely know that a doctor of medicine degree is required. I think I would need training in the form of internship and residency programs after medical school. I guessed that the starting salary in this career field is about $100,000, and the potential salary, with time and experience in the career, at $500,000. I imagine that my day-to-day activities would include diagnosing patients and looking over medical images. I would probably be responsible for reporting information off of certain scanners and x-rays. I don’t think there will be much paper work, and instead technology would be used. With this position, I think that I would be one of the leaders in my workplace. To research this career thoroughly, I primarily used Internet websites and book sources. To test my knowledge of this career I researched the educational requirements in the medical field and the history of radiology first. In the process, I learned many facts about the path to become a radiologist. The crucial facts that I discovered were that the educational requirements included four years of undergraduate study, another four years of medical school in the form of postgraduate school, and then years of internship and residency. This made me realize that to make it in this career, a lot of time and effort has to be put in. At least 12 years of school and training need to be completed until one can finally become a practicing doctor. Radiology started over 100 years ago in 1895 when a German scientist named William Roentgen discovered X-rays . One of the first images Roentgen took was of his wife's hand, when he observed bones in her hand and also saw her wedding ring. The result of this new technology was impactful and the medical community realized the worth in diagnosis of various broken bones, fractures, and other ailments. Within a few months of the discovery, "machines were produced to be used in the medical community and it wasn't long before they were a widespread, commonly used technology" (Radiology-Schools). During the 1950's, major breakthroughs happened when better imaging and cameras were developed. Later, in the 1960's, sonar technology would be added to introduce ultrasound waves. Although radiology had been around for a very long time up until this point, it wasn't a popular field until the 70's and 80's, when "The digital imaging techniques were implemented into conventional fluoroscopic image intensifier with the first computed tomography, and digital images became electronic snapshots sampled and mapped as a grid of dots and pixels" (Radiology-Schools). The CT technology has also expanded the clinical applications dramatically. Soon after, MRI machines were being used on clinical patients for the first time. The imaging in current times is dramatically advanced compared to what it was 100 years ago. Radiology is no longer limited to just the simple x-ray device. Everything is electronic now. As technology advances, which it has been rapidly over the past few years, so will the field of radiology (Shirkhoda). The need for radiology is also increasing as it is considered a safer way to treat sickness and disease rather than surgery. The education path to become a radiologist physician is rigorous and demanding. A 4-year undergraduate degree is required first, usually in the sciences like biology, chemistry, physics or a combination. Students do not necessarily have to major in a science degree, but to enter medical school, certain math and science units are required. Entering into a good medical school and staying is usually the toughest part of the journey. Medical schools will judge based on MCAT scores, which reflect the big test that all medical students must take (Shirkhoda). The time