Radiologists commonly analyze X-rays.
In addition to seeing patients and conducting research, academic radiologists who work at medical schools are also teachers. The salary for academic radiologists is slightly lower than for radiologists in private practice. Individuals who enjoy teaching or research may be more inclined to pursue a career as an academic radiologist because they can devote more time to research and teaching than they would in private practice.
Salary
The median salary for academic radiologists in the United States is $344,000, according to the Washington State University in St. Louis School of Medicine. The median salary for private practice radiologists in the United States is slightly higher at $385,000. Radiologists as a whole work an average of 58.5 hours per week. Radiologists who own a private practice may earn even higher wages.
Considerations
Private practice radiologists usually receive more vacation time than academic radiologists. Radiologists in private practice may need between three and four years to become partners in a private practice and reach their full salary potential. However, academic radiologists may need between five and seven years to become an associate professor and an additional five to seven years to become a full professor. Academic radiologists commonly receive health insurance and retirement benefits from their employer, while those who own a private practice must create their own benefits package, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Training Requirements
Academic radiologists must complete four years of medical school after obtaining an undergraduate degree, which usually takes four years. After medical school, aspiring academic radiologists must complete a 5-year radiology residency program. Radiology residency programs provide their residents with salaries of around $50,000 annually in addition to vacation time and time off to attend radiology conferences.
Debt
The total time required to become an academic radiologist is 13 years and the cost of going to medical school is high. In 2010, the median amount of debt held by medical school graduates was $160,000, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges. Paying back medical school loans can cut into the salary of an academic radiologist, especially during their early years of training. However, a federal loan repayment program called Income Based Repayment helps limit the size of payments which helps tremendously during residency. Without this program a resident earning $50,000 a year might have loan payments of $2,000 a month, but under Income Based Repayment payments might only be $400 a month. {Ref 6}
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