Radiologist
What the work is
Diagnoses, monitors and treats injuries and illnesses using various medical imaging techniques, such as X-ray, angiography, fluoroscopy, mammography, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine and bone densitometry.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Performs and interprets diagnostic imaging to identify, monitor and treat diseases, illnesses, injuries and disorders
- Prepares comprehensive reports, documenting medical image analyses and diagnoses
- Consults with referring physicians and other health practitioners to discuss patient diagnoses and treatment plans
- Monitors patients during and after medical imaging procedures to ensure their safety and comfort
- Supervises and directs medical imaging and radiology technologists to ensure medical imaging is performed correctly and safely
- Performs minimally invasive procedures such as biopsies and stent placements
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a hospital imaging department that supports the emergency department, wards and local GPs. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A scan that looked ordinary gives a clear answer, and a patient gets the right care sooner
- A trainee finally sees what you have been pointing at on the screen
- A referring doctor rings back to say your report changed their plan
Hard days
- A queue of urgent scans grows while a worried family waits in the corridor for news
- You spot something nobody was looking for and have to decide how to raise it
- Long hours alone in a dim room with a screen, a phone and a pager that never stops
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 264937, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.