Radiology Resources: The List Every Medical Student Needs

I was seven years old when I had my first personal experience with radiology. While swinging on my community gate for fun, I heard an unusual creaking of screws after which the gate fell and landed on top of me. I ended up with a lacerated ear, a fractured radius, a fractured clavicle, and, ultimately, a whole lot of curiosity about radiology. Granted I was already aware of radiology because my dad, who was out of town at the time, was a practicing radiologist in the Indian Army. However, my passion for radiology was ignited that day when I caught sight of doctors using black and white images to directly visualize the broken bones that were concealed deep inside my body.

I have now finished medical school and my fascination for radiology has just grown deeper. Learning how to read scans has been like learning a whole new language. Being able to decipher obvious or subtle abnormalities—no matter the modality, direction or plane—continues to be incredibly intellectually stimulating.

Radiology is sometimes viewed as a slightly out-of-sight specialty during the clinical years of medical school despite being utilized in diagnosing and managing most patients with complex illnesses. Unfortunately, many medical students discover radiology comparatively late in medical school, and many have preconceived and perhaps incorrect notions about what radiology is. If you want to see if radiology is the right fit for you (or vice versa), I highly encourage you to read Why Every Medical Student Should Consider Radiology from The Radiology Review.

If you have your heart set on radiology, here are some resources that were extremely helpful to me during medical school. Most of these resources, if not all, are made by radiologists for medical students, future radiologists, and fellow radiology enthusiasts. This list is in no particular order and was assembled over a few years with the help of radiology residents, fellows, attendings, and professors. (Editorial note: hyperlinks provided may change or become inactive over time).

1)     Anatomy: A strong understanding of anatomy is often necessary to make radiology diagnoses. Radiology becomes easier once anatomy is mastered. Apart from using the textbooks recommended by your medical school, here are some free, online resources that can help you become expert in anatomy.

i)      Websites:

·       BioDigital

·       TeachMeAnatomy

·       AnatomyZone

·       BlueLink by University of Michigan

·       Kenhub

·       AnatomyGuy

ii)     YouTube channels:

·       The Noted Anatomist

·       Sam Webster

iii)    Anki decks:

·       BlueLink Atlas

·       100 concepts

·       Dope Anatomy

2)     Radiology: learning basic principles and gaining an understanding of what is normal is key for radiology. Basics come first! Knowledge of the abnormal only comes when you first know what is normal.

i)      Books:

·       Learning Radiology by William Herring (Amazon affiliate link)

·       Felson's Principles of Chest Roentgenology by Lawrence Roger Goodman (Amazon affiliate link)

ii)     Websites:

·       Radiopaedia

·       The Whole Brain Atlas (Harvard Medical School)

·       Radiological Anatomy (Loyola University Medical Education Network)

·       Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology for Medical Students (St. Vincent University Hospital)

·       Texas Tech Anatomy

·       Kenhub

·       Anatomy Guy

iii)    YouTube channels:

·       Lecture Series on Introduction to Radiology (Yale Radiology and Biomedical Imaging)

·       Brain Imaging Crash Course (Rutgers RWJMS Neurology)

·       Dave Nascene

3)     Radiology: After learning the basics, we can only get familiar with medical imaging by exposing ourselves to more medical imaging. There is no alternative to practice. Repetition gives rise to confidence and competence.

i)      Websites:

·       LearningRadiology

·       Radiology Board Review Study Guides

·       Radiology Assistant

·       TeachingIR

·       CREATE-rad

·       CTisus

ii)     YouTube channels:

·       Omer Awan Rad Education

·       Radiology Channel (Radiopaedia)

·       Navigating Radiology

iii)    Podcasts:

·       The Radiology Review Podcast

iv)    Instagram accounts:

·       The radiologist page (@theradiologistpage)

·       The radiology page (@theradiologypage)

·       Learning radiology together (@radiology_learning_together)

·       Radiology case reports (@radiology_case_reports)

·       Dr. Eric Heffernan (@svuhradiology)

4)     Miscellaneous resources:

i)      Starting clinical rotations soon? Pay attention to imaging while you are service.
This is the best way to learn more about radiology in a multidisciplinary manner. Actively seek out and follow-up on imaging results for your patients.

ii)     Have an interesting case? Submit them online.
With informed patient consent, and following institutional policies, you can produce a case report or case series with the help of your residents. A few examples of where you can make free submissions:

·       RSNA Case Collection

·       ACR Case in Point

·       ASNR Case of The Week

·       AJNR Case of The Week

·       Radiopaedia

·       Journal of Radiology Case Reports

·       British Journal of Radiology

·       MedPix

·       Eurorad

iii)    Curious about a particular topic? Use UpToDate and PubMed.
You can use UpToDate as an evidence-based clinical resource. PubMed includes an increasing amount of open access information about many medical imaging topics. Reading published articles and journals has never been easier.

iv)    Interested in learning about medicine, life, and all things radiology? Follow Yasha Gupta, MD.
This informative YouTube channel covers topics such as the ERAS matching process, the life of radiology residents, resources for residency and so much more. Dr. Gupta is a beacon of inspiration who also founded Future Radiology Residents, which helps in guiding medical students who are interested in radiology.

v)     Want to interact with your peers and radiologists? Join professional societies.
You can be a part of various sub-committees, gain access to journals and attend conferences. This helps broaden your perspective and gives you more opportunities to get involved in projects that you may be passionate about. The following are a few major radiology societies:

·       Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)

·       American College of Radiology (ACR)

·       American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS)

·       Association of University Radiologists (AUR)

You can also explore radiology subspecialty societies, such as:

·       Society of Breast Imaging

·       Society of Abdominal Radiology

·       American Society of Neuroradiology

·       Society of Interventional Radiology, and many more!

vi)    Like using Twitter? Welcome to #RadTwitter
Radiology is flourishing on medical Twitter with physicians and medical students using it for networking, teaching, and learning. Some radiology hashtags you can follow on the go: 

·       #FutureRadRes

·       #RadRes

·       #FOAMrad

·       #EmoryRadCOTD

You can also search for radiology-specific hashtags, like:

·       #NeuroRad

·       #PedsRad

·       #MSKRad, and more!

vii)   Want a more detailed guide? Check out the Association of University Radiologists (AUR) ASMER guides.
Available for both diagnostic and interventional radiology, these include detailed steps you can take right from Year 1 of medical school up until Match Day.

Like any other medical field, radiology requires a depth of knowledge that is extremely vast. It can be very challenging as well, especially at the beginning when there is so much to learn. I hope this article and the resources listed in it give you a head start to enter this rad specialty (no pun intended).

Dr. Arushi Sangwan bio: Originally from India, I nurtured my life-long interest in global health by attending medical school at MAHSA University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am currently working as a radiology extern at my community's busiest hospital. My time is also devoted to volunteering as a doctor in non-profit organizations, as well as a USMLE Step 1 tutor. I am passionate about radiology and neuroradiology in particular. My interests include medical education, mentorship, and clinical research. You can follow Dr. Sangwan on social media on Twitter @arushisangwan and Instagram: @arushisanga.

Disclosures: Dr. Sangwan has no financial interest in any of the products or companies mentioned. Neither Dr. Covington nor The Radiology Review have a financial interest in any of the products or companies mentioned. The Radiology Review may receive a commission, at no increased cost to you, for purchases made through Amazon, MRI Online, and/or BoardVitals on the links on this page.

Do you like this article? If so, check out “Why Every Medical Student Should Consider Radiology” on The Radiology Review.

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