DIY Real Estate Investing: Lessons From a Future Radiologist
Have you ever played the old version of the board game Monopoly? If so, you’ve had some experience in real estate investing. It’s a strategy game that involves buying and selling properties. After you purchase all the lots on a block, you can buy houses and then a hotel. The rent you can charge soars with the number of buildings owned. Making the wrong moves can result in bankruptcy. Just like…
Negotiation: Everything You Wish You Knew But Nobody Taught You
Q: What do a doormat and a bull-in-a-china-shop have in common? A: Neither are good approaches to negotiation. In a previous post I briefly discussed contract negotiations. Because this is something that can greatly influence one’s career, I feel it’s worth taking a closer look at what it takes to be a successful negotiator. If you’re already a pro at this, you might want to read on anyway so…
Enhanced Education Through the Application of Adult Learning Principles
What are adult learning principles? What does it mean to apply “adult learning principles” to one’s teaching? Are you already doing it? If you don’t know the answers to these questions I invite you to keep reading. Research that looks into how pre-adults (pedagogy) and adults (andragogy) learn shows that if you apply adult learning principles, you can be a more effective teacher. Adult…
Financisms: A Top Ten List
Radiologists can relate to the phrase “a picture is worth a thousand words.” “The only constant is change” is another adage perfectly describing the specialty. And this dictum was hammered home by faculty throughout my radiology training: “If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen.” You know I have a passion for finance. But I have a confession to make. I also love words. I love learning new…
Get Involved (In Societies!): A Guide for Radiologists-To-Be
If you are a radiology resident or fellow or you are a medical student interested in pursuing radiology, you should know that there are a gazillion opportunities for you to become actively involved in radiology societies and benefit from a plethora of educational resources that they offer for FREE. The highlights were outlined in a paper published in the American Journal of Roentgenology in…
Elements of an Effective Presentation: a Cheat Sheet
I’m guessing that most of you have been inundated with presenting or watching webinars during this time when many face-to-face conferences have been canceled or made virtual. You probably have a few pet peeves about some of the webinars you’ve seen (watching someone’s chin for an hour?). For many people, giving a live-streamed (or in-person) presentation can be a scary proposition. As…
From Trainee to Radiologist: How I Learned to Win the Interview & Other Lessons on Landing the Job
If you are nearing the end of your radiology training, you are no stranger to the interview process. From medical school through internship, radiology residency, and fellowship, you’ve likely participated in at least 50 (if not more!) interviews. This experience might have garnered greater confidence in the interviewing process, but are you really prepared for what comes next? When…
by Jennifer R. Buckley, MD, Interventional Radiology Fellow, UTH/MD Anderson
Radiologist $alary Update 2020: Show Me The Money!
One of the most popular posts on The Reading Room is about radiologist compensation (FYI: it’s worth clicking on the link for the title of said blog post alone). Alas, as money still doesn’t grow on trees, it seemed like a good idea to give the post a facelift and update the numbers. Note: the prior post also included a review of partnership terms and buy-in, buy-out arrangements that you may…
The Loan Debt Number That Changed My Life
Over a million dollars...my heart beat rose, my eyes scanned the bottom of the page believing I imagined those extra zeroes, but the numbers and decimal points remain unchanged. 1.5 million dollars was the number on the loan repayment plan page. No - I’m not talking about MY loan (whew!), but rather that of my best friends-- a dual physician couple that I grew up with, now with a newborn, and…
Economics 101: Why Your Investment Activities Don’t Influence the Price of Stocks
They tumble, slide, jump, soar. They get the jitters and often seem moodier than a hormone-addled teenager. They are the stuff of which dreams are made—the rise and fall of fortunes in mythological proportions. I’m thinking of how fortune smiled on that lucky mortal who bought Apple shares for a song back in the ‘80s and became a bajillionaire. Yes, I’m talking about financial markets. Yes, it’s…