View Alert

Statewide occupation search

Sort your search results or select and compare details of two occupations. Find out if an occupation is in demand or not in demand in your local area, at Learn about an occupation.

Print

Radiologists

Diagnose and treat diseases and injuries using medical imaging techniques, such as x rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, and ultrasounds. May perform minimally invasive medical procedures and tests.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Prepare comprehensive interpretive reports of findings.
    • Review or transmit images and information using picture archiving or communications systems.
    • Obtain patients' histories from electronic records, patient interviews, dictated reports, or by communicating with referring clinicians.
    • Confer with medical professionals regarding image-based diagnoses.
    • Establish or enforce standards for protection of patients or personnel.
    • Recognize or treat complications during and after procedures, including blood pressure problems, pain, oversedation, or bleeding.
    • Perform or interpret the outcomes of diagnostic imaging procedures including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear cardiology treadmill studies, mammography, or ultrasound.
    • Provide counseling to radiologic patients to explain the processes, risks, benefits, or alternative treatments.
    • Develop treatment plans for radiology patients.
    • Participate in quality improvement activities including discussions of areas where risk of error is high.
    • Review or transmit images and information using picture archiving or communications systems.
    • Communicate examination results or diagnostic information to referring physicians, patients, or families.
    • Develop or monitor procedures to ensure adequate quality control of images.
    • Perform interventional procedures such as image-guided biopsy, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, transhepatic biliary drainage, or nephrostomy catheter placement.
    • Establish or enforce standards for protection of patients or personnel.
    • Document the performance, interpretation, or outcomes of all procedures performed.
    • Participate in continuing education activities to maintain and develop expertise.
    • Instruct radiologic staff in desired techniques, positions, or projections.
    • Communicate examination results or diagnostic information to referring physicians, patients, or families.
    • Perform or interpret the outcomes of diagnostic imaging procedures including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear cardiology treadmill studies, mammography, or ultrasound.
    • Coordinate radiological services with other medical activities.
    • Obtain patients' histories from electronic records, patient interviews, dictated reports, or by communicating with referring clinicians.

    Skills

    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.

    Abilities

    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.

    Knowledge

    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.

    Education

    Education
    Doctoral or professional degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    Internship/residency

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    239,200+/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    115+/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    29,000
    Yearly Projected Openings
    800

    Personality

    Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Integrity
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Concern for Others
    • Dependability
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

    • Desktop computers
    • Electrocardiography EKG units
    • Electronic blood pressure units
    • Gamma bone densitometers
    • Goggles
    • Intravenous tubing with catheter administration kits
    • Laboratory beakers
    • Laboratory tongs
    • Liquid scintillation counters
    • Medical acoustic stethoscopes
    • Medical computed tomography CT or CAT stationary units
    • Medical computed tomography CT or CAT ultrafast system components
    • Medical exam or non surgical procedure gloves
    • Medical gamma cameras for general use
    • Medical magnetic resonance imaging MRI scanners
    • Medical magnetic resonance imaging MRI stationary units
    • Medical picture archiving computer systems PACS
    • Medical positron emission tomography PET units
    • Medical radiation dosimeters
    • Medical radiation films or badges
    • Medical radiological shielding aprons or masks or drapes
    • Medical radiological shielding gloves
    • Medical radiological shielding portable containers for radioactive materials
    • Medical radiology and fluoroscopy RF units
    • Medical single photon emission computed tomography SPECT units
    • Medical syringes with needle
    • Medical ultrasound bone densitometers
    • Medical ultrasound or doppler or pulse echocardiograph or echocardiograph units for general diagnostic use
    • Medical x ray film archiving system software
    • Medical x ray units for general diagnostic use
    • Mercury blood pressure units
    • Microcentrifuges
    • Mobile medical services automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles
    • Multipurpose or general test tubes
    • Notebook computers
    • Pasteur or transfer pipettes
    • Pedal exercisers for rehabilitation or therapy
    • Personal computers
    • Phantom dosimeters
    • Radiation detectors
    • Surgical isolation or surgical masks
    • Tablet computers
    • Treadmills
    • X ray diffraction equipment

    Technology

    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Medical software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Voice recognition software
    • Word processing software