Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a nuclear medicine physician, becoming a radiologist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a radiologist has an average salary of $298,405, which is higher than the $204,752 average annual salary of a nuclear medicine physician.
The top three skills for a nuclear medicine physician include acls, nuclear medicine and thyroid. The most important skills for a radiologist are patients, pacs, and patient care.
| Nuclear Medicine Physician | Radiologist | |
| Yearly salary | $204,752 | $298,405 |
| Hourly rate | $98.44 | $143.46 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 43,950 | 1,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A nuclear medicine physician, also known as a nuclear radiologist, uses radioactive materials to diagnose and treat diseases. The process uses radiopharmaceuticals to take images of a patient's body. The duties of this position include diagnosis and therapy using radiopharmaceuticals, dealing with cancer patients, keeping up with updated safety standards associated with radioactive materials, and ensuring that the radioactive materials are handled within a controlled environment so as not to endanger those outside the created environment.
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.
Nuclear medicine physicians and radiologists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Nuclear Medicine Physician | Radiologist | |
| Average salary | $204,752 | $298,405 |
| Salary range | Between $100,000 And $417,000 | Between $124,000 And $714,000 |
| Highest paying City | Montgomery, AL | Rochester, MN |
| Highest paying state | Minnesota | Minnesota |
| Best paying company | Wellstar Health System | Allina Health |
| Best paying industry | - | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a nuclear medicine physician and a radiologist in terms of educational background:
| Nuclear Medicine Physician | Radiologist | |
| Most common degree | Doctoral Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Medicine | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | Texas A&M University | Texas A&M University |
Here are the differences between nuclear medicine physicians' and radiologists' demographics:
| Nuclear Medicine Physician | Radiologist | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.2% Female, 36.8% | Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 6.4% Asian, 19.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 13% | 13% |