Healthcare Diagnosing or Treating Practitioners

How to become a Radiologist

Official title: Radiologists

Also called: Attending Physician, Diagnostic Radiologist, Interventional Neuroradiologist, Interventional Radiologist, Musculoskeletal Specialty Radiologist (MSK Specialty Radiologist), Neuroradiologist, Nuclear Medicine Physician, Nuclear Medicine Specialist, Physician, Radiologist

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.

Main tasks

Prepare comprehensive interpretive reports of findings.
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.
Document the performance, interpretation, or outcomes of all procedures performed.
Communicate examination results or diagnostic information to referring physicians, patients, or families.
Obtain patients' histories from electronic records, patient interviews, dictated reports, or by communicating with referring clinicians.
Review or transmit images and information using picture archiving or communications systems.
Confer with medical professionals regarding image-based diagnoses.
Recognize or treat complications during and after procedures, including blood pressure problems, pain, oversedation, or bleeding.

How to become one

Physicians and surgeons typically need a bachelor's degree as well as a medical degree, which takes an additional 4 years to complete. Depending on their specialty, they also need 3 to 9 years in internship and residency programs. Subspecialization includes additional training in a fellowship of 1 to 3 years.

Typical education to start: Doctoral or professional degree

Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Ways in

College: Medicine & Dentistry degrees, Offered by 23 universities in the US
College: Science degrees, Offered by 36 universities in the US
Licence: A licence is required in 48 states.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Median pay: $420,860 a year The middle half earn $216,800 to $506,010.
About 28,700 people work in this job now, and about 29,600 are projected by 2035. (+3.4%)
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Questions people ask

How do I become a Radiologist?

How much does a Radiologist earn in the US?

Median full-time pay is $420,860 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $216,800 to $506,010.

Is a Radiologist a growing career in the US?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 3% by 2035, from about 28,700 to about 29,600 people (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Do you need a degree to become a Radiologist?

Usually. 100% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Will AI change the work of a Radiologist?

People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.

Sources

Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.