Have you you’ve recently had an imaging exam such as an X-ray, ultrasound, nuclear medicine scan, CT scan, or MRI scan but find yourself struggling to understand what your radiologist is saying in your radiology report? You might be even be wondering, “what is a radiology report” and “why is it important for me to understand it?” Let’s unravel this together! Radiology and its Place in Your Healthcare Let’s start with a little background on medical imaging and radiology as it’s infrequently featured on TV shows (Though feel free to skip to The Radiology Report section below). What is Medical I ..read more

In the high-stress, high-stakes world of medicine, the concept of work-life balance is often discussed but seldom achieved. Traditionally, a healthy work-life balance implies a perfect equilibrium between work and home life—a concept that seems almost utopian for young physicians. Enter work-life harmony, a more realistic and flexible idea that acknowledges the fluid nature of a physician’s life. Unlike work-life balance, work-life harmony accepts that priorities can and will shift. There are times when your medical career will demand more attention and other times when personal life needs pre ..read more

As a young physician fresh out of medical school or in the early years of residency, navigating the world of personal finance can be as challenging as a night in the ER. With significant student loan debt and a delayed entry into earning, establishing a solid financial base early in your career is crucial. This guide aims to assist you in effectively managing your finances, paving the way for a future of financial security. It covers various financial topics, from debt management to investment strategies, as a foundational “Finance for Doctors 101.” While it provides a comprehensive overview t ..read more

If you’re like me, the last thing you want to hear is that you have to delay, or worse – skip – your morning cup(s) of coffee. This is, unfortunately, a fairly frequent necessity in medicine. Whether you’re about to get blood work drawn, have a coronary artery calcium score CT scan, or undergo surgery, you likely have to fast or avoid caffeine prior to your procedure. While you don’t have to fast before a coronary calcium scan, you do have to avoid caffeine since caffeine consumption can negatively impact the quality of your coronary calcium scan. Why? Because caffeine is a stimulant that can ..read more

Heart disease is scary. In fact, it is the leading cause of death in the United States. Coronary artery disease, the most common form of heart disease, accounted for 382,000 deaths in the United States in 2020 alone. Even scarier, many people walk around with heart disease without even knowing it! Fortunately, medicine has evolved to improve our ability to detect and treat heart disease. One such advancement is the nuclear stress test, also known as Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (MPI). In this article, I’ll cover the basics of a cardiac stress test, what a nuclear medicine stress test is, why i ..read more

If you’re asking yourself this question, “Can I refuse contrast dye for MRI scans?,” you no longer need to wonder!  The easy answer is of course you can. The better question? SHOULD you refuse contrast agents? In this article, I’ll cover everything you need to know about MRI contrast material.  What is an MRI Contrast Agent? Intravenous MRI contrast agents do exactly what their name implies: they add contrast (our ability to tell two adjacent things apart from one another such as a tumor in the liver from normal liver tissue – see example below) to MRI images. Gadolinium, a rare ear ..read more

Finding and choosing a job is a big deal in any profession and medicine is no different. When choosing a medical practice, it’s best to first be familiar with the different types of medical practice settings that exist before narrowing your decision down to a specific group practice. While this article is focused on group practices in radiology, it can be applied more broadly to other medical specialties (e.g., internal medicine, family medicine, anesthesiology, etc.) and medical practices of all sizes. My recommendation: Read (or skim) this article with the purpose of thinking about the diff ..read more

Radiology modalities, also known as imaging modalities, are the different types of medical imaging techniques used to visualize the body for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Read on to learn more about the various radiology modalities! Radiology Modalities The four main types of imaging modalities are x-rays (including computed tomography and fluoroscopy), ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and nuclear medicine (including positron emission tomography [PET]). Each modality has its own benefits and drawbacks, which I’ll discuss below. X-rays   X-rays are a form of electromagnetic ..read more

Radiology is a medical specialty that uses imaging to diagnose and treat diseases in the body. The field of radiology was born in 1895 with the discovery of the x-ray by German physicist and future Nobel Prize winner Wilhelm Röntgen. Since then, radiology has continuously evolved into the field it is today with new technologies (CT, MRI, mammography, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, nuclear medicine) and advancements constantly being developed. Radiology has become an integral part of medical care, aiding in the diagnosis of innumerable diseases and helping guide disease management. Radiologists, the ..read more

One of the most important tasks a medical student has during medical school is to figure out what they want to do with their lives. Perhaps the most important decision a medical student has to make is choosing their medical specialty. There are MANY different specialties to choose from, each with its unique benefits and drawbacks. In this post, I’ll talk about why you should consider radiology – the best of the medical specialties. Why is Radiology the Best Specialty?   Because I already committed myself to it and I have to justify my decision… Just kidding! Radiology is a unique special ..read more