BC Radiological Society

A scan is only one piece of the story.

Radiologists do much more than look at images. They bring together the findings on the scan with the patient’s clinical history, notes, prior imaging and other important information to help arrive at the right diagnosis.

It is about seeing the image in context and putting all the pieces together.

Because behind every scan is a patient, and every detail matters.

What does radiology have in common with detective work? 🔎

Radiologists are constantly looking for clues.
A subtle change. A tiny abnormality. A pattern that does not quite fit.

They bring together what they see on medical images with a patient’s history and other clinical information to help solve the puzzle and determine what may be happening.

Radiologists are physicians with extensive medical training, and interpreting an image is about much more than simply spotting something unusual. It is about understanding what those findings mean for the patient.

Sometimes the smallest clue can make the biggest difference.

Who is the doctor behind your scan?

A radiologist is not just someone looking at an image. Radiologists are physicians who have completed medical school, residency and extensive specialty training, often representing more than 13 years of education and training after high school.

They interpret X‑rays, CTs, MRIs, ultrasounds and other medical images, combining what they see with their medical knowledge and your clinical information to help diagnose disease, identify injury and guide patient care.

In the latest reel from our What Is a Radiologist? campaign, BC radiologists explain the depth of training behind the work they do every day.

What is a radiologist?
Most patients never meet the radiologist who reads their scan. Yet every X‑ray, CT and MRI in British Columbia is interpreted by one.
In this reel, BC radiologists explain how it works. A radiographer or technologist acquires the images. The radiologist then translates what's on those images into clinical information, answering the question, "What does this mean for the patient?" That report goes back to the family physician or specialist, who uses it to guide next steps. Radiologists also perform image‑guided procedures as part of that care.
It's work that happens largely out of sight, but it shapes decisions for patients across the province every day.

Radiology is interesting. Challenging. And incredibly rewarding.

For Women in Medicine Month, we’re highlighting the women helping shape radiology and encouraging the next generation to explore where the specialty could take them.

Dr. Anvita Pauranik, Dr. Alison Harris and Dr. Lotus Yang share what they value about the profession, the importance of women in radiology and why there is still room for more women to join the field.

To the next generation of physicians: keep your options open. Radiology might surprise you.

Meet the Radiologists Behind the Screen. You’ve probably had an X ray, CT, MRI or ultrasound. But do you know the doctor behind it?
As part of BCRS’s What Is a Radiologist? campaign, we’re introducing British Columbians to the physicians working behind the images that help guide patient care.
Radiologists are medical doctors who interpret imaging, provide diagnoses, guide treatment decisions and work closely with other physicians across virtually every area of healthcare.
Over the coming weeks, you’ll hear directly from radiologists across BC about what they do, why their work matters and the people behind the profession.

This week, BCRS is launching "What Is a Radiologist?", a new public awareness campaign built to help people understand the role radiologists play in their care and put a human face to the profession.

Over the summer, we travelled across British Columbia and sat down with more than 20 radiologists, across practice settings, communities and subspecialties, to hear their stories.

Over the coming weeks we'll be covering:
-The vital role radiology plays across the healthcare system
-What radiologists actually do, and how that differs from the technologist performing the exam
-The different areas of radiology, from diagnostic to interventional, nuclear medicine and academic practice
-Why radiologists chose the specialty, and what they find meaningful about the work
-The people behind the profession and life beyond the reading room

Our first video features Dr. Vamshi Kotha explaining, in his own words, why radiology and medical imaging is so central to diagnosis, treatment and patient care.