Dr Deepsha Agrawal reflects on how a taster week at her local hospital was the first step on her journey to qualifying as a radiologist.

Having read several narratives of Röntgen’s glowing cardboard screen and the mysterious Crooke’s tube, I have always found myself fascinated by radiology. I often wondered what radiologists do in their secretly tucked away dark rooms and how those digital blueprints and monochrome scans make sense. The evolution of radiology from giant X-ray tubes to present day dynamic scans and angio seals, prompted me to consider a career in radiology. And so valuable was my taster week experience that my interest has now transformed into a drive to become a radiologist.

I am an international medical graduate doing my Foundation Year 2 Clinical Fellowship. Although I had done a two week elective in radiology during my internship (the Indian equivalent of FY1), I was keen on doing a taster week before entering specialty training in the UK.

How I arranged it:

A taster week can be a great opportunity to give a useful insight into a specialty and connect to trainees and consultants who are currently working in the specialty. I arranged my taster week by emailing a radiology consultant in my hospital who kindly accepted and set things up for me promptly.

After a quick discussion with the radiology consultant, I emailed my rota manager who was very generous to grant me study leave for a week.

My experience:

My week was spread between plain film, ultrasound, CT, MRI and some interventional radiology sessions. While the plain film sessions were useful to carry into my regular job, the IR experience in the theatre was quite thrilling. Interventional radiologists are clinicians with those magic wands (catheters) who practice some seemingly futuristic medicine. It was an absolutely inspiring experience for me.

Spending a week in radiology gave me a lot of clarity on my doubts and misconceptions about the specialty.

Artificial intelligence (AI) won’t replace radiologists: Every time I had expressed my interest in radiology, I was told that it will soon be replaced by AI and radiologists will be left with no jobs. My experience tells me that AI will only alter the job of a radiologist and not replace it. Radiologists do more than reading and interpreting images. They recreate the patient’s clinical story when they look at a scan. AI can recognize but never interpret an image.

Radiology is a core clinical specialty: I was under the impression that radiology is mainly technical and has only a slight clinical edge to it. During one of my initial sessions  I mentioned the same to a radiology consultant and amusingly but legitimately he got quite upset and told me there’s a reason it’s called “Clinical Radiology”. A week into radiology, I realised that there is in-depth clinical processing in radiology with every scan.

Radiologists touch the lives of their patients every day: It might be true that radiologists see fewer patients than an average clinician but with every scan interpretation a radiologist is affecting the life of a patient. They add value by not only interpreting the scans but also consulting with other physicians on diagnosis and treatment, treating diseases with intervention and relating findings clinically and from lab tests.

More recognition within the healthcare system: I was fortunate to attend a surgical and respiratory Multi-disciplinary Team Meeting (MDT) during the week. These meetings gave me insight into the role of a present day radiologist. The traditional view of the radiologist as a physician who sits in the dark room defining technical parameters of imaging procedures and interpreting diagnostic images is now outdated. Radiologists have now come to the forefront with multi-disciplinary meetings where they are valued and recognized for their opinion in deciding the course of treatment for patients.

Radiologists are happy people: Having rotated through various departments during my internship and experiencing a few departments in the NHS, I found a striking difference in how radiologists see their work. They work as a team, care for each other and are very encouraging. Don’t be surprised if your fellow consultant is making you a cup of coffee! Also, the trainees fairly support medical students and junior doctors in walking the path to enter specialty training. Overall, I felt that the happiness index of radiologists was higher than other specialists and they truly enjoy their work.

Although I entered as a slightly confused junior doctor, I have come out more aware and orientated to work towards a career in radiology with audits, academic projects and day-to-day learning ideas. In summary, I thoroughly enjoyed my taster week and am pleased with my experience. For a radiologist, no two days are the same. There is immense learning and fun in radiology. I am already dreaming of holding the needles and being on the dictaphone. I highly recommend a taster week to all junior doctors considering a career in this specialty.

I would like to add a special note of thanks to Dr. Amit Patel, Consultant Radiologist, Queen Elizabeth University Hospitals, Glasgow, who kindly accepted me as a taster week student and scheduled my sessions.

– Deepsha Agrawal, FY2 Clinical Fellow, Neurosurgery, Queen Elizabeth University Hospitals, Glasgow.

About Deepsha

I am an FY2 Clinical Fellow in Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow. After graduating from India in 2018, I moved to the UK for further training with a keen interest in Radiology. My journey has been great so far and I look forward to bringing innovations to medicine as a radiologist.