How to become a Radiologist?

Radiology is the branch or specialty of medicine that deals with the study and application of imaging technology like x-ray and radiation to diagnosing and treating disease. Invented in 1895, most widely used technique of medical imaging. With the most advanced Teleradiology technique, the image generated in one place can be seen at the other place. It is a useful application as the physician can consult radiologists sitting at a distant place.

Who is a Radiologist?
The radiology technicians are known as the radiologists. Radiologists are physicians who use cutting-edge imaging technology to examine organs and tissues inside the body in gentle, noninvasive ways. Their expertise in physics, anatomy and the disease process allow them to diagnose injuries and illnesses so treatment can begin. Radiologists physicians are usually board certified by the American Board of Radiology (for a doctor of medicine) or the American Osteopathic Board of Radiology (for an osteopathic doctor); an indication of a high level of training, and demonstrated excellence in the field. 

How to become a Radiologist?

If you are interested in becoming a radiologist, To be a radiologist, you will need a bachelor's degree: 4 years. It's recommended that the major be in one of the sciences: chemistry, biology. After the bachelor's degree you will need to apply for and be accepted into Medical School which is 4 years. After Medical School you will need to do a Radiology residency which is generally four years. Many radiologists then specialize and do a fellowship which takes another 1-2 years. Radiologists, especially interventional radiologists (those who do procedures) are very well paid. 
On the other hand, ultrasound technologists are also in huge demand and one can earn a very nice salary as a US tech.

Necessary Skills and Qualities
Because competition for radiology residencies is fierce, students seeking to enter this field must be top academic performers with excellent test scores. More so than other medical specialties, radiology requires a strong interest in and knowledge of physics and math. 

Opportunities for Advancement
Radiologists earn excellent salaries throughout their careers. As they advance, many choose a more comfortable lifestyle over pay increases. This usually takes the form of fewer nighttime, weekend and holiday shifts. The career prospects for radiologists are immense and you can find a decent job by opting radiology as your career. So, if you want to excel in a technical medical field, radiology is the best option for you. Radiology is a booming industry and one of the fastest growing areas in health services.
If you are looking for radiology/ teleradiology jobs visit RadiologyStaffing  

Benefits of Teleradiology

There are numerous benefits of teleradiology services to both facilities and their patients:-

1. Teleradiology Save Money: - Teleradioloy helps the facilities to save their money. This teleradiology solution phases out the need of travel and allow radiologists to work from anywhere that is most comfortable and cost-efficient. Hospitals of all the sizes can use this Solution which makes the hospital more competitive and better able to serve the needs of their patients. 
2. Teleradiology Save Time: - Teleradiology solution help radiologist to have immediate access of medical images over the internet or via secure telecommunication server. It gives the result faster in imaging reports
3.  Teleradiology Improves Access to Care: - Teleradiology means access to sub specialty radiologists in regions where health care disparities arise.  Without teleradiology some patients would suffer from delayed diagnosis and treatment, which could in turn negatively impact their health. More hospitals in smaller towns and rural areas are engaging in teleradiology services to maintain 24/7 access to subspecialists via videoconferencing that they otherwise could not interact with. With this technological solution, they are seeing a reduction in operational costs as well as improved patient outcomes.

Today, over 70 per cent of clinical decisions are made on the basis of diagnostics like radiology and laboratory results. Using teleradiology, radiologists no longer need to be present within the same hospital, department, office, or, on an even larger scale, the same country with the patient and patients can also quickly have diagnostic imaging interpreted without requiring a radiologist on site.

It can also be used as an educational device with case presentations provided by educational centers for groups of clinical radiologists or individuals in their own hospitals.

How to to Select a World-Class TeleRadiology Provider !

Teleradiology service companies have become an integral part of the image-reading landscape in the United States. Teleradiology technology is not difficult to implement and is cost-effective, utilizing technology to gain information within 30 minutes to 24 hours.

Here are the best tips to choose a best teleradiology provider:

Peer review process: The teleradiology company should actively participate in a peer review process such as RadPeer, administered by the American College of Radiology. The teleradiology company should have policies and procedures in place to notify you of any clinically relevant discrepancies or changes in the report content.

Reputation of the teleradiology group. Before you agree to a service contract, interview current clients including other physicians, practice managers and MRI technologists to learn what others think about the service they receive. Ask their MRI technologists if the radiologists are accessible for questions or suggestions on scanning protocols. Finally, ask if the client sees the teleradiology group as an asset.


Availability: Check out the hours of operation for the radiology center. Many times these exams take 1-2 hours to complete and people tend to schedule the tests before or after work. Some radiology clinics may offer weekend hours to accommodate your schedule.

Accuracy: It’s important to select a provider that’s capable of exceeding outdated standards for accuracy. Reports must be transcribed to the highest level of quality and standards. So choose a Teleradiology service provider that can provide you with professional, error-free transcripts.

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Latest technologies : You must use the teleradiology service provider which  make every effort to integrate the latest technologies to provide your practices with the tools and applications to provide quick and accurate results.

Turnaround time: Although many teleradiology providers tout fast turnaround times, it’s important to review reports that verify the average turnaround time.Some  teleradiology provider also provide  the option for clients to  track turnaround time with some Online Client Portal, which provides completely transparent reporting on turnaround times.

Teleradiology Impact on Health Care System

Teleradiology is the transmission of radio-logical patient images, such as X-Rays, CTs, and MRIs, from one location to another for the purposes of sharing studies with other radiologists and physicians. For this process to be implemented, three essential components are required, an image sending station, a transmission network, and a receiving / image review station. Imaging on Call provides TeleradiologyService to clients all across the United States.   

Impact of Teleradiology on Clinics/ Hospitals:  Imaging centers are having distinguished benefits from the use of teleradiology reporting services. These benefits are applicable even if the centers are having a low volume of radiology studies. Some of the key benefits are listed below.  Teleradiology services offer provision of sub-specialty opinion and support which may be beyond the skills of an existing team.  Provision of after hour services which relieve radiologists from the burden of being on-calls at night. Enable small centers to provide teleradiology services without actually hiring a permanent radiologist.  Vacation and weekend coverage for the resident radiologists More efficient use of radiology infrastructure.

Cost Efficiency : One of the biggest cost (and time) wasters for radiologists is travel. Teleradiology solutions however, cut out the need for travel. It allows the radiologist to work from anywhere that is most convenient and cost-efficient. Immediate Medical Imaging Results: T eleradiology solutions eliminate the need for film, cds , dvds , and mailing, the radiologist and reading physician have immediate access to the images over the internet. Improved Healthcare Access in Rural Areas : Since teleradiology solutions are web-based, their geographical reach is almost limitless. Any hospital, from a small community hospital to a large referral hospital can benefit from the strategic use teleradiology solutions Impact of Teleradiology on Healthcare System

Pros and Cons of Teleradiology:

Pros of Teleradiology 

• Cost efficiency 
• Immediate Medical Imaging Results 
• Improved Healthcare Access in Rural Areas 
• More Competitive Radiology Program Faster transmission for second opinion.

 

Cons of Teleradiology 

The barriers for successful implementation of teleradiology include : 

• Problems with telecommunications. 
• Energy infrastructure problems. 
• It required a proper setup of internet and other devices 
• The minimal teleradiolo-gical solutions are often informatically too complicated, unpractical to use and do not have all the necessary functions etc.

How to make a career in Teleradiology!

Teleradiology is basically the transmission of radiological patient images such as X-rays, CTs, MRIs, from one location to another for the purpose of sharing those reports with other radiologists and physicians. Teleradiology improves patient care by allowing radiologists to provide the services without actually to be at the location of the patient.

Teleradiology is a booming industry and one of the fastest-growing areas in health care services.

 CAREER IN TELERADIOLOGY

Working as a teleradiologists is very easy to get started. You can go for a full time or a part time job. As a radiologists your salary can be close even more then you will get while working in a hospital.

People interested in working in teleradiology must attend school to become radiologists and may want to consider pursuing board certification and specialization to make themselves more employable. They can opt for regular hours in a facility or can choose to work unusual shifts, reviewing imaging studies in emergency situations where rapid turnaround is needed. Pay rates vary depending on degree of skill and the hours worked, and people may be eligible for employee benefits like health insurance as well.

Assuming you’re already a radiologist, step #2 is where things become tricky. You have to make yourself valuable to a potential teleradiology employer. As a teleradiologist you do that in a few ways.

Have many state licenses

By far the most important item for you to have are state licenses. The more the better. The more licenses you have, the more clients you are able to service. This not only makes it easier for a teleradiology company to service their than it is when you have two.current clients, but it also gives them a larger pool of potential clients. It’s much easier to find a new client when you have thirty states to choose from

Some state licenses are better than others. For instance, California and Florida licenses are easy to come by and most radiologists will have one or the other, usually both. This makes them less valuable. On the other hand, Texas and Louisiana licenses requires some effort to receive, and are therefor fairly rare, making them valuable.

FUTURE SCOPE OF TELERADIOLOGY

It's a very interesting time to be working in radiology. No matter what happens to the economy, the digital imaging needs of patients are not going away, and they cannot be ignored. In spite of the apprehension, teleradiology is here to stay and should be considered as the future of healthcare delivery.The future of teleradiology is bright, given that there are such major manpower resource issues, and consequently such great potential for transformational impact As low cost work-flow technologies become available, the access of radiologists to teleradiology is enhanced.. Thanks to teleradiology, the day when a patient has to get on a train or a bus simply to obtain an accurate radiologic diagnosis will soon be history.”

Companies such as Microsoft have already realised the potential in this field and are exploring further opportunities. The need for expert Teleradiology services is growing in demand every day and even patients are becoming aware of and increasingly more willing to avail of such specialised services.

If Teleradiology is something that excites you as then get prepared for a stimulating career!