What does a radiologist do?
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.
Radiologist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real radiologist resumes:
- Perform general radiology with emphasis on mammography, especially breast procedures.
- Advocate for upgrade to digital mammography from film screen.
- Experience with CR and DR equipment -Experience with fluoroscopic exams
- Select as one of the top teachers by radiology residents.
- Experience gain in diagnosis of OB/GYN disorders and diseases using ultrasound.
- Review MRI studies for referring physicians/orthopedic surgeons outside of office hours.
- Experience in surgery settings and assists during biopsies including breast and thyroid.
- Read general diagnostic body imaging cases, plain film, CTs, and fluoroscopy/barium studies.
- Provide more hands on support to the IR nurses on preparing sedation documents, pre /post procedures etc.
- Perform invasive procedures, including ultrasound guide biopsies, to aid in diagnosis of diseases and disorders in the breast.
- Comply with HIPAA rules and regulations and assist in maintaining JCAHO standards in efforts to protect patient confidentiality at all times.
- Format templates specific to the radiologists' particular dictation.
- Monitor radiation safety measures to ensure safety of patients and staff in order to comply with government regulatory requirements.
- Assist floor secretaries with pertinent and immediate documentations necessary for patients undergoing surgery or those being transfer to other facilities.
- Lead programmer in Matlab for data analysis and data mining.
Radiologist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 29% of Radiologists are proficient in Patients, Pacs, and Patient Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Detail oriented, and Dexterity.
We break down the percentage of Radiologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 29%
Performed new patient exams using computerized equipment Responsible for taking x-rays and developing them Scheduled patients Efficient in posting insurance payments
- Pacs, 10%
Worked with digital radiography and PACS system to transfer digital images to Radiologist Nationwide
- Patient Care, 10%
Performed all exams and procedures as a Radiologist Technologist, patient care, patient transfer, and great team work.
- Mammography, 6%
Interpreted different diagnostic procedures including plain films, DEXA, Nuclear Medicine, Ultrasound, Mammography, CT and MRI.
- Ct Scan, 6%
Read outpatient procedures including plain films, CT scans, nuclear medicine cases, ultrasound and digital mammograms.
- Thyroid, 5%
Experienced in surgery settings and assists during biopsies including breast and thyroid.
"patients," "pacs," and "patient care" are among the most common skills that radiologists use at work. You can find even more radiologist responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a radiologist to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what radiologists do because "physicians and surgeons need to be excellent communicators." Additionally, a radiologist resume shows how radiologists use communication skills: "directed and interpreted all mammograms and breast sonograms with same day communication of results to patients and referring physician. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling radiologist duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "patients must receive appropriate treatment and medications." According to a radiologist resume, here's how radiologists can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "provided debtors/ patients with the detailed information needed to collect payment on the debt. "
Dexterity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of radiologists is dexterity. This skill is critical to many everyday radiologist duties, as "physicians and surgeons may work with very precise and sometimes sharp tools, and mistakes can have serious consequences." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provided more hands on support to the ir nurses on preparing sedation documents, pre /post procedures etc. "
Leadership skills. A big part of what radiologists do relies on "leadership skills." You can see how essential it is to radiologist responsibilities because "physicians who work in their own practice must manage a staff of other professionals." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical radiologist tasks: "demonstrate clinical care and healthcare leadership, while overseeing and directing a successful multi-specialty, integrative chiropractic practice. "
Physical stamina. Another crucial skill for a radiologist to carry out their responsibilities is "physical stamina." A big part of what radiologists relies on this skill, since "physicians and surgeons should be comfortable lifting or turning disabled patients, or performing other physical tasks." How this skill relates to radiologist duties can be seen in an example from a radiologist resume snippet: "assume responsibility for the safety, mental and physical comfort of patients while they are in the sonographer's care. "
The three companies that hire the most radiologists are:
- Spectrum Healthcare21 radiologists jobs
- Cleveland Clinic19 radiologists jobs
- Ethos Veterinary Health12 radiologists jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable radiologist resume templates
Build a professional radiologist resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your radiologist resume.
Compare different radiologists
Radiologist vs. Doctor
A doctor is a medical expert who diagnoses and treats illnesses and injuries, often specializing in particular areas. Their responsibilities revolve around conducting initial interviews and examinations, studying a patient's medical history and laboratory results, providing consultations and care advice, prescribing medication, and referring patients to specialists when necessary. They must also coordinate and maintain an active communication line with nurses, administrators, and technicians for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a doctor must educate patients about their health conditions, helping them understand their situation better.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, radiologist responsibilities require skills like "pacs," "pet," "mammography," and "ct scan." Meanwhile a typical doctor has skills in areas such as "customer service," "emergency medicine," "surgery," and "strong work ethic." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Doctors tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $178,767. In contrast, radiologists make the biggest average salary, $196,566, in the health care industry.The education levels that doctors earn slightly differ from radiologists. In particular, doctors are 3.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a radiologist. Additionally, they're 13.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Radiologist vs. Resident in diagnostic radiology
A diagnostic radiologist specializes in operating special imaging equipment such as X-rays and ultrasound to help physicians diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries among patients. Besides operating equipment, a diagnostic radiologist is primarily in charge of assisting patients by answering any inquiries, explaining the processes and how they would feel, providing clear and step-by-step instructions, and helping them feel at ease the entire procedure. Moreover, a diagnostic radiologist gathers and analyzes the images produced by the equipment, communicating the findings to the physicians and nurses.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real radiologist resumes. While radiologist responsibilities can utilize skills like "patients," "pacs," "patient care," and "pet," residents in diagnostic radiology use skills like "radiology," "mri," "ultrasound," and "clinical expertise."
Residents in diagnostic radiology earn a lower average salary than radiologists. But residents in diagnostic radiology earn the highest pay in the health care industry, with an average salary of $71,018. Additionally, radiologists earn the highest salaries in the health care with average pay of $196,566 annually.residents in diagnostic radiology earn similar levels of education than radiologists in general. They're 4.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 13.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Radiologist vs. Interventional radiologist
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a radiologist is likely to be skilled in "patients," "pacs," "patient care," and "pet," while a typical interventional radiologist is skilled in "radiology," "mri," "health system," and "gi."
Most interventional radiologists achieve a lower degree level compared to radiologists. For example, they're 5.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 22.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Radiologist vs. Diagnostic radiologist
Types of radiologist
Updated January 8, 2025
