All in Radiology Residents
The question of radiology obsolescence is really a question about the future of white-collar work itself—any profession rooted in human knowledge, analysis, or judgment. If that’s the concern, maybe the safest advice isn’t “don’t be a radiologist,” but “enter a trade or own an experiential business such as a resort.” Though even those may not be safe forever. Perhaps the best hedge is owning power plants. The takeaway is this: if you’re young and worried about radiology, you should probably be worried about nearly every other career resting on human judgement too. Radiology may be in the spotlight, but if AI replaces us, we certainly won’t be the only ones.
For both current and future radiologists, finding the right job is a major life decision—one that will shape your career, finances, and personal happiness for years to come. Yet many trainees enter the job search without the tools they need to navigate it effectively. This guide offers practical strategies to help you secure a radiology position that aligns with your goals, values, and lifestyle.
If done well—with transparent grading, standardized cases, and accessible prep materials—the oral boards could become a meaningful assessment of clinical reasoning, and have potential to improve the knowledge base of new radiologists.
But if poorly implemented, this could add significant stress, widen gaps between programs, and further burden early-career radiologists, who are frankly already struggling to get by with volume expectations their older radiology peers didn’t have to face straight out of training.
A key messages for future ABR Certifying Exam test-takers is this: Don’t despair if you are short on study time for the Certifying Exam. Nearly all of you will complete a radiology fellowship and this should sufficiently prepare you for much of the Certifying Exam.
“Radiology is one of the diverse specialties – not just in pathology, but also in lifestyle. Radiology caters to a wide range of personal interests, including those who like procedures, those who like overnight call, those who do not like overnight call, those who are interested in pediatrics, those who are interested in women’s health… the list goes on. This is likely why radiology was the highest back-up specialty per the NRMP. It caters to everyone.”
For all current and future radiologists, finding your ideal job in radiology is a high-priority pursuit. Joining a radiology practice is an important life decision that can impact your life for decades. Unfortunately, many radiology trainees are not optimally prepared to find their ideal job. This article provides useful information that can help future radiologists secure an ideal radiology position.
“Most importantly, I realized that my time is limited. You only have one life to become your ideal self. Only one life to make a difference. For me, social media is the best way to make a difference on a large scale.”
-Bill Wong, MD
