tooty Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 It's incredibly fatiguing to blow through studies at a fast clip, and becomes increasingly stressful the faster you work, since there's always the nagging "what if?" thought in the back of your mind that you might be missing something. I'm trying to gauge what kind of stress a radiologist goes through day-to-day. Are you always trying to balance the pressure to interpret more studies to generate more income vs. the pressure to be thorough and correct(?) in your interpretation? What is the range in the number of images radiologists interpret in a year or month? When you come across a case that is unclear to you for whatever reason, do you get the feeling of loss of potential income because the clock is ticking on your day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juicyprunes Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 "When you come across a case that is unclear to you for whatever reason, do you get the feeling of loss of potential income because the clock is ticking on your day?" WHAT???!!!!! Whatever happened to patients first? - I am sure that the $50 -200 lost as the radiologist 1) takes a second look 2) consults another radiologist 3) dicates a line recommending another imaging modality is insignificant and does not cause "stress". If it did, I would feel the need to puke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted August 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Cool . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noncestvrai Posted August 8, 2009 Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 Well, since I'm only a junior resident, $ is not the issue, but missing something clearly I fear, in fact, that makes me ultra aware, since volume is not what I'm supposed to be aiming at, but obviously, the more I see the better, but never at the expense of quality. I think I would definitely keep that spirit when I'm an attending, what's the good of risking missing a finding for mere compensation, when somebody's health is at risk? noncestvrai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted August 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2009 I see what tooter is saying. We're human and we are all looking out for number-one. The more volume you do, the more you get paid. This is the same reason why FPs have 3 minute visits that are complete crap: money. Thing is, radiologists get paid very handsomely. Going even substantially slower on studies will still net you a good deal more than the average specialist. Monetary compensation relative to your other peers in medicine will very likely always be on the high end even if you're going slow. Rads is a great field. You will get paid well AND you can take time to make sure you do your work correctly and sufficiently. If you're thinking of rads, go for it. It's a great field. By the way, I'm not in rads. I can only look from the sidelines as studies that I order are dictated, valuably altering the course of the care of my patients as I drudge through charts and orders, rueing my failure to discover rads earlier on. I'm not bitter...no. haha. tooter. sweet. anyway, yeah, that's exactly how i feel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Habstothecup Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I might be a lil out subject but, what do the working+studying hours look like during the residency and once the residency is done? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bj89 Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 I'm always baffled when i see the doctor i shadow point out the finest little chip, or crack in bone on an X-ray... he's actually told me that GP's have an advantage when looking at X rays because they generally know anatomically where a patient is suffering pain (after interviewing the patient), compared to radiologists who have no hints or anything at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted August 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 By the way, I'm not in rads. I can only look from the sidelines as studies that I order are dictated, valuably altering the course of the care of my patients as I drudge through charts and orders, rueing my failure to discover rads earlier on. I'm not bitter...no. switch ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mourning Cloak Posted August 10, 2009 Report Share Posted August 10, 2009 switch ! fly ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jj_ Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 Radiologists only have as many hints as the referring doctor gives them. I try to give them as much of the story as possible. I hate how people just order imaging without giving a clinical history to the radiologist. It's lazy. I agree, but don't some doctors order imaging to detect any abnormality. It can sometimes be useful if all symptoms are nonspecific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 In that case, the nonspecific symptoms would form the history, and would be useful to combine with the imaging findings to put together the differential and favoured diagnosis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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