Diagnostic Radiology
Imaging-based diagnosis across every body system.
Diagnostic radiologists interpret CT, MRI, ultrasound, plain films, fluoroscopy, and nuclear medicine studies. You serve as a consultant to nearly every other clinical service. Workdays are read-list driven with consult phone calls and procedure shifts (biopsies, drains, paracentesis). Increasingly AI-augmented but interpretation expertise remains the core.
Lifestyle & practice
Hours vary by setting. Academic 50 to 60, private practice can be longer with overnight or weekend coverage. Comp is high ($450k to $600k median). Remote work is increasingly available.
Common fellowship paths
- Residency length
- 5 years (1 prelim + 4)
- Median comp
- $450k to $600k
High-signal external links curated for residents and applicants.
- American College of Radiology ↗
Practice guidelines, appropriateness criteria, advocacy.
- Radiopaedia ↗
Free encyclopedia of radiology with cases. Used worldwide.
- AuntMinnie ↗
Industry news and forum, popular with radiologists.
- Diagnostic Radiology forum (SDN) ↗
Long-running medical career forum with active specialty subforums.
Positions
1186
All applicants
1566
Seats / app
0.76
From NRMP Charting Outcomes 2024 (most recent biennial publication). Source PDFs: MD Seniors / DO Seniors / IMG. NRMP publishes Charting Outcomes every other year, so this should refresh in early 2026 with the 2025 cycle data.
| Pool | Step 1 | Step 2 | Pubs | Research | AOA % | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD_seniors | 241 | 256 | 12.0 | 4.4 | 19.5 | 625 |
| DO_seniors | 247 | 252 | 7.1 | 3.5 | — | 128 |
| US_IMG | 233 | 250 | 15.8 | 4.6 | — | 23 |
| Non_US_IMG | 249 | 252 | 20.4 | 3.2 | — | 64 |
Per-applicant-type match rates and mean Step scores published by NRMP every two years. Each row is one applicant pool in one cycle. Step scores reflect what matched applicants in that cycle achieved, not what programs require today.
| Year | Type | Match rate | Matched (n) | Step 1 | Step 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MD_Senior | 87.9% | 625 | 241 | 256 |
| 2024 | DO_Senior | 68.5% | 128 | 247 | 252 |
| 2024 | IMG | 33.8% | 23 | — | 250 |
| 2022 | MD_Senior | 83.7% | 638 | 245 | 253 |
| 2022 | IMG | 46.0% | 29 | 241 | 247 |
| 2020 | MD_Senior | 96.0% | 616 | 241 | 249 |
| 2020 | DO_Senior | 91.7% | 144 | 240 | 246 |
| 2018 | MD_Senior | 89.7% | 621 | 240 | 249 |
| 2018 | IMG | 56.3% | 40 | 239 | 242 |
| Pool | Share |
|---|---|
| MD_seniors | 77.5% |
| DO_seniors | 8.4% |
| US_IMG | 4.0% |
| Non_US_IMG | 10.1% |