Observing busy radiologists as part of a collaborative research project confirmed one FIU medical student’s choice of specialty.
Mona Roshan spent much of her second year of medical school watching the moves of experienced board-certified radiologists at Baptist Health in Miami. Roshan gathered data and insights around the use of a proposed new radiology reporting style with the potential to reduce dictation errors. She observed dozens of radiologists as they reviewed X-rays, MRIs and CT scans and listened to them verbally note their findings. She served as the first author of the study, published in the European Journal of Radiology.
Here, she discusses the value of conducting research in the field she hopes to practice.
Q: How would you describe the research experience?
A: I loved learning more about radiology through this experience. I went to different sites throughout the Baptist Health system and was able to shadow various types of radiologists in different specialties and recorded them with an eye-tracking device. While I was recording them, I was also able to observe their work more closely and how they put together reports.
Q: Do you want to continue doing research?
A: Medicine is a field that’s constantly evolving, and I want to be a part of that. That’s what research is for — lifelong learning and to contribute to discoveries that could advance medicine and the profession. I’m currently in the planning stages with Baptist Health on a cardiac imaging project.
Q: What drew you to the field of radiology?
A: Medicine is a service to humanity. What’s special about radiology is its role as a converging point for all medical fields and its central position in preventive care. Radiologists are at the frontlines of the diagnostic process when patients are admitted to the hospital. Radiologists also serve as physicians’ consultants, engaging in discussions about complex patient cases and offering management recommendations to the various subspecialties.