Question:
I’m happiest when I’m just plowing through cases at the workstation, as I find procedures are a considerable nuisance. Unfortunately, there seem to be in every subspecialty, but which ones give me the best opportunity to find a job with few/no procedures required?
Regards,
The Anti-Procedure Student
Answer:
Specialties Without Procedures
Fortunately for you, lots of areas within radiology require minimal to no procedures. Here is my list of the career paths I would be thinking about: Non-interventional neuroradiology, MSK outpatient radiology, heavily weighted academics, teleradiology, emergency radiology (depends on the hospital and their requirements), and informatics. Also, body imaging with an outpatient bent could be non-procedural weighted as well. (assuming that there is no fluoroscopy on site).
Non-Procedure Weighted Specialties
Moreover, let me give a pitch for thoracic and cardiovascular imaging. Many of those rads do not perform manual work. However, at some academic institutions, the thoracic imagers will perform the biopsies. And, at other places, you may get interrupted to supervise Cardiac MRIs and CTAs. That all depends on the workflow.
Nuclear medicine (my specialty) does involve iodine treatments and radiotherapies for other cancers. So, you will need to sit with patients and play doctor. And, you may need to perform lymphoscintigraphies. (Our residents do most of them!) Also, at some institutions (not mine), you will need to stand and monitor the cardiac perfusion scans. However, you will find that we do not perform that many long involved procedures. Manual work is not our thing!
Procedure Heavy Specialties
Hopefully, you have figured out that breast imaging and interventional radiology does not work well for someone not interested in procedures with all the biopsies and/or vascular work. Also, women’s imaging, in general, is not a place for you with hysterosonograms and HSGs. And, finally, pediatric radiology is also chock full of procedures as well. You have intussusception reductions, VCUG, barium enemas, hands-on ultrasounds, and more. I would avoid that specialty!
My Final Summary
Now that I think about it a little bit more, about half of radiology does not emphasize procedures. You can easily find a path that will take you in that direction when you decide to pursue your career!
Good luck following your “procedureless” path!
Barry Julius, MD
