Many hospital radiologists are moving their services off-site, working from offices or homes.
Radiologists use various imaging technologies - x-rays, MRIs and CT scans, for example - to diagnose injuries, diseases and conditions. Some radiologists sub-specialize in interventional radiology, performing treatment procedures such as using stents and balloons to treat arterial disease, and using needles to obtain biopsy samples. Most radiologists are independent or self-employed entities, contracting with hospitals and other facilities for their services. Increasing numbers of radiologists work from homes or offices, providing remote imaging diagnostic services utilizing electronic communication tools.
Education & Training
Like all physicians, radiologists must complete a four-year undergraduate degree followed by four years of medical school. Another four years of medical residency training is required, in addition to a one-year clinical internship, often followed by additional residency or fellowship training, especially for those radiologists sub-specializing in interventional radiology. Whether radiologists work on-site at a hospital or off-site using remote diagnostic tools, they usually are private contractors, although small numbers of radiologists are actually employed by health-care facilities and providers, often as department heads or administrators.
National Salaries
The Physician Compensation Survey conducted by the American Medical Group Association reports a median salary for non-interventional diagnostic radiologists of $454,205 and a median salary for interventional radiologists of $478,000. Salary.com reports a median national salary for radiologists of $403,488, with the middle 50th percentile earning $335,534 to $456,202 a year. The bottom 10th percentile median salary is $273,665 and the top 10th percentile figure is $504,196. An Allied Physicians 2006 survey showed that experience plays a large role in radiologists' salary levels, with an average salary of $201,000 for radiologists during their first two years of practice, $354,000 after three years and a high-end salary of $911,000. Locum Tenens shows a steady increase in radiologist average salaries from $343,330 in 2007, to $367,908 in 2008, to $379,140 in 2009, to $398,571 in 2010.
Salaries by Location
The median salary of radiologists in Los Angeles is $443,030, according to Salary.com. The 25th to 75th percentile salary range is $368,416 to $500,910, with a bottom 10th percentile median salary of $300,484 and an upper-end figure of $553,607. In New York City, the median salary is $478,940 and the low-end median salary is $324,840. The middle 50th percentile range is $398,278 to $541,512 a year, and the top 10th percentile median salary is $598,480. The median salary is Columbus, Georgia, is $375,647, with a middle 50th percentile salary range of $312,382 to $424,724. The bottom 10th percentile median salary is $254,782 and the top 10th percentile figure is $469,406.
Salary Comparisons
Radiologists are among the highest paid of all physician specialties. For instance, the Physician Compensation Survey shows a median salary for cardiologists of $402,000. For anesthesiologists, the figure is $370,500 and for general surgeons the median salary is $357,091. Physicians earning higher median salaries include cardio-thoracic surgeons at $533,084 and neurosurgeons at $592,811. Most orthopedic surgeons also earn higher salaries, including hand surgeons at $476,039, joint-replacement surgeons at $605,953 and orthopedic spine surgeons at $688,503.
Outlook
The severe shortage of radiologists that marked most of the 1990s and into the 2000s seems to have dissipated, according to a study conducted by Cristian I. Meghea, Ph.D., and Jonathan H. Sunshine, Ph.D., for an article published in "Radiology." Radiologists still are in great demand; however, as the utilization of imaging technology continues to increase, much of it is a response to federal oversight guidelines and malpractice fears. The move away from on-site radiologists toward at-home, remote and overseas radiologist diagnostic services will continue.
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