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The differences between medical physicists and radiologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a medical physicist and a radiologist. Additionally, a radiologist has an average salary of $298,405, which is higher than the $122,845 average annual salary of a medical physicist.
The top three skills for a medical physicist include patients, oncology and radiology. The most important skills for a radiologist are patients, pacs, and patient care.
| Medical Physicist | Radiologist | |
| Yearly salary | $122,845 | $298,405 |
| Hourly rate | $59.06 | $143.46 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 46,513 | 1,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Medical Physicist develops and tests new systems to help investigate patients' conditions. They work for hospitals, diagnostic or medical instrumentation manufactures, or universities.
A radiologist is responsible for interpreting and evaluating medical image results to diagnose medical conditions and refer to medical professionals for immediate treatment plans. Radiologists analyze the patient's medical history to determine their medical conditions before the radiology procedure. They utilize various high-level machinery, requiring them to have strong knowledge of operating the equipment to ensure accurate results and reports. A radiologist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in discussing the medical processes to the patients and responding to any inquiries and concerns they may have.
Medical physicists and radiologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Physicist | Radiologist | |
| Average salary | $122,845 | $298,405 |
| Salary range | Between $77,000 And $193,000 | Between $124,000 And $714,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rochester, NY | Rochester, MN |
| Highest paying state | New York | Minnesota |
| Best paying company | Saint Luke's Health System | Allina Health |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a medical physicist and a radiologist in terms of educational background:
| Medical Physicist | Radiologist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Physics | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Texas A&M University |
Here are the differences between medical physicists' and radiologists' demographics:
| Medical Physicist | Radiologist | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6% | Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 1.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.4% Asian, 12.8% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.5% Asian, 18.6% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 24% | 13% |