I am also drawn to radiology because of the many areas to work with sophisticated technologies and techniques. There is an appeal to being at the cutting edge of medicine, and working in a field noted for its rapid pace of change.
Moreover, because radiologists consult on many different situations, the exposure to a wide range of subspecialties gives me the chance to learn more than if I chose another discipline. To be able to study a field that allows me to deal with diverse issues like oncology, endovascular and more in a single day is an attraction.
A expect a radiology training program to incorporate intensive study of the equipment used. The field is rich with diverse subspecialties and I would expect that an enormous amount of time goes into learning the equipment for each. In addition, extensive experience must be gained in interpreting the different images for each of these subspecialties.
One essential aspect of radiology training is to be kept abreast of the technological changes in the field during the time spent in residency. This challenge is not unique to radiology but certainly the field is more prone to rapid changes than some other specialties.
In addition to the study of equipment and images, I expect to rotate through the different departments of a hospital (pediatrics, nuclear medicine, etc.), learning how radiology applies to each. I expect to see a tremendous variety of cases, to hone my skills at interpreting the images.
This hands-on learning will be supplemented with additional readings, lectures and seminars to help keep me up-to-date on developments in the field and to help enrich my study. There will be focus on both general medical issues and issues pertaining to the radiology equipment with which I will be working.
While different, the two fields of anesthesiology and radiology both appeal to me. Both are broad-based in nature and allow me to work with a wide range of cases. I love that anesthesiology...
Both also offer a wide range of subspecialties, which provide opportunity for me as a student to take my career in any number of different directions.
I believe I am well-suited to either of these fields. I respond to the challenge of operating in a multidisciplinary field. The variety will provide constant challenge, which combined with the breadth of knowledge each of these specialties entails, will drive me to succeed at the highest level. Moreover, whether in the diagnostic side of radiology or the pain management side of anesthesiology, these disciplines bring out the compassionate side in me, bringing me back to the very reason I wanted to study medicine in the first place, to help people to feel better.
Bibliography
No author. (2008). Careers in Medicine: Specialty Information: Anesthesiology. Association of American Medical Colleges Retrieved June 17, 2008 at http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/pub_anesthesiology.htm
No author. (2008). Careers in Medicine: Specialty Information: Radiology. Association of American Medical Colleges Retrieved June 17, 2008 at http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/pub_radiology.htm
No author. (2007). Anesthesiology Residences and Fellowships. University of Florida. Retrieved June 17, 2008 at http://msquared.anest.ufl.edu/residency/
No author. (2008) Careers in Diagnostic Radiology. Radiological Society of North America. Retrieved June 17, 2008 at http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/careers/index.cfm?pg=diagcareer&bhcp=1
No author. (2007). Residency Training Program. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 17, 2008 at http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/radiology/educ/educ_res.shtml
