Radiology is hard work
The first link to practice as a radiologist is to become a general practitioner.
N17 Hospital’s radiologist Dr Amaresh Ranchod believes in hard work and commitment.
He says wanting to help people and work with them is an absolute necessity.
Subjects that will help a lot with this career are English and maths, but biology and science are also good choices.
Universities with medical schools offer the general practitioner course over six years, after which two years internship will follow and one year community service.
Amaresh says to become a radiologist a further four to five years of study is needed.
The costs involved are about R60 000 per year, excluding boarding fees.
Once the nine years of becoming a General Practitioner (GP) is completed, the GP is registered as a registrar.
Minimal additional costs are charged to study for the additional four to five years.
“A typical day in the life of a radiologist is busy but interesting,” says Amaresh.
Their duty is to do all various imaging procedures that includes X-rays, ultra sound, Computerised Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans.
They have to interpret the information garnered from different scanning methods.
Most biopsies are conducted by radiologists.
Their working hours vary between eight and nine hours a day, but they are also on call for emergencies.
His advice to a learner who aspires to be a radiologist is to set long term goals.
