Radiologists
Diagnose and treat diseases and injuries using medical imaging techniques, such as x rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), nuclear medicine, and ultrasounds. May perform minimally invasive medical procedures and tests.
26,770 people do this job in the US. $420,860 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 67%
- 17%
- 16%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 4%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 39%. Today's estimate: 43%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 30 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formulate plans and procedures for nuclear medicine departments. | 21% | 6.7 h1.7 h to 2.1 work days | 9%Half by Aug 2027 | |
| Teach nuclear medicine, diagnostic radiology, or other specialties at graduate educational level. | 12% | 3.3 h1.7 h to 6.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Develop or monitor procedures to ensure adequate quality control of images.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 8% | 50 min17 min to 1.7 h | 96%Half by now | |
| Prepare comprehensive interpretive reports of findings.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 7% | 25 min13 min to 1.1 h | 100%Half by now | |
| Establish and enforce radiation protection standards for patients and staff. | 6% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | 57%Half by now | |
| Perform or interpret the outcomes of diagnostic imaging procedures including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computer tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), nuclear cardiology treadmill studies, mammography, or ultrasound.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 21 min8 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Establish or enforce standards for protection of patients or personnel.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | 77%Half by now | |
| Perform interventional procedures such as image-guided biopsy, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, transhepatic biliary drainage, or nephrostomy catheter placement.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Test dosage evaluation instruments and survey meters to ensure they are operating properly. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Participate in quality improvement activities including discussions of areas where risk of error is high.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 2% | 1.7 h25 min to 3.3 h | 65%Half by now | |
| Coordinate radiological services with other medical activities.Done daily by most who do it. | 2% | 25 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Document the performance, interpretation, or outcomes of all procedures performed.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 2% | 13 min4 min to 21 min | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).