What is a Radiologist?

What is a radiologist?
A radiologist is a doctor (MD or DO) that is specially trained to understand and interpret all forms of medical imaging exams such as X-ray, ultrasound, CAT scan, MRI, nuclear medicine imaging, mammography, PET, angiography, and others.  In addition to being the doctor that diagnoses medical conditions by interpreting diagnostic imaging exams, a radiologist's role includes the use of medical imaging to perform procedures such as biopsies and various image-guided therapies.  A radiologist is an expert medical imaging consultant that works with other physicians by providing them with guidance for choosing the best diagnostic imaging method for a particular patient's condition, providing an interpretation of the imaging exam once it is performed, and issuing a formal report of those findings.

A radiologist's training typically includes a four year college degree followed by four years of medical school, then four years of radiology residency training, and often an additional one or two year fellowship in a specific subspecialty area of radiology such as MRI, neuroradiology, or interventional radiology.  Radiologists undergo rigorous exams to obtain certification by the American Board of Radiology.

What is a radiologic technologist?
A radiologic technologist, or Rad Tech (RT), is a specially trained person whose role is to perform the imaging exams, creating the pictures for the radiologist to interpret.  For some exams such as angiograms or barium studies, the tech's role is to assist the radiologist in performing the exam.  A technologist undergoes special training between one and four years in length to obtain a certificate, associate degree, or bachelor's degree.  Specialization may be in one or more particular areas of imaging such as mammography, CT, ultrasound, or MRI.  Tech quality is assured by certification exams issued by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.

About this website
In this website we hope you will find useful information and links to help you with your medical imaging needs.  We have included information about our centers and the services we offer at each of our practice locations.  We also have included information about some new and exciting developments in medical imaging that offer improved opportunities for diagnosis of medical conditions and better ways of treating them.

For additional detailed information about all radiological exams and procedures, please see RadiologyInfo, a service of the American College of Radiology and the Radiological Society of North America.