Re: WHAT EXACTLY IS A RADIOLOGIST

Well, Doug, they certainly do SOMETHING with X-rays.  But if it was up to 
me, I would call them X-rayologists!  Isn't that less confusing.  I guess 
not.  But back to your question.  First I wanted to give you MY definition 
of a radiologist but it's usually better to see how the association itself 
defines what a radiologist does, so I went to Canadian Association of 
Radiologists at  http://www.car.ca/maineng.html 
The following is from this site.
------------------------------------------------------------------

What is a Radiologist?
by : Dr. Ian Hammond, University of Ottawa.

A radiologist is a medical doctor who has taken 4 -7 years of advanced 
medical training to become a specialist in the field of
medical imaging. This training encompasses the use of X-rays (which 
includes computed tomographic (CT) scanning), ultrasound
waves, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and radio-isotopes in the 
diagnosis of various illnesses and in evaluating some normal
conditions such as pregnancy. 

Radiologists also participate in the treatment of many diseases, for 
example, the unblocking of arteries in the legs and in the neck,
or the drainage of infections. These "interventions" often eliminate the 
need for surgery. The radiologist is a consultant to whom
patients are referred by other doctors, often their family doctor. The 
radiologist provides a safe environment in which the necessary
tests can be carried out and is responsible for the quality of the 
examination. 

Depending upon the nature of the examination, it may be peformed by the 
radiologist, by a qualified technologist, or by a team of
radiologists and technologists, sometimes with the assistance of a nurse. 
In all cases, the radiologist is responsible for supervising
and interpreting the test and for providing a report to the referring 
doctor.

The radiologist has an important role in advising other doctors on the best 
pathway to serve the patient's needs. Because of the
complex nature of medical imaging, on occasion this may require modifying 
the original request or even advising against a
particular examination if it is not likely to be of benefit.

Because of the complexity and the high cost of medical imaging equipment 
(an MRI scanner may cost $2-3 million), radiologists
have an important role in advising hospitals or other health care 
facilities on the most appropriate equipment to meet the needs of
the public. Radiologists are responsible for setting the highest standards 
for the performance of medical imaging examinations. The
Mammography Accreditation Program of the Canadian Association of 
Radiologists has become the national standard for the
practice of high quality mammography used for the detection of breast 
cancer.

Radiologists do not order imaging tests directly, but are asked to perform 
these tests on behalf of the referring doctor. This
arrangement, which eliminates the potential for self-referral for imaging 
tests, has been shown in a number of studies to be in the
public interest by reducing cost substantially.
----------------------------------------------------------------
There is another article explaining what a radiologist does.  It's in 
August 97 edition of Forum.  It's Volume. 41 No. 4.  Forum is a 
publication of Canadian Association of Radiologists.
http://www.cma.ca/forum/

You can also visit my beautiful website at 
http://www.geocities.com/A
thens/Troy/7063
where I have a link to Pubmed.  You can search the Pubmed to see some of 
the research radiologists do.

Arash E.
Cellular Biology and Genetics
University of British Columbia
Vancouver 
Canada