Dr. Rad

For my interview, I chose to see Dr. Mark S. Radowich, M.D., Radiologist for Annapolis Radiology Associates. He graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He then attended Georgetown School of Medicine, also located in Washington, D.C. He completed a Diagnostic Internship and Residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where he served as Chief Resident in Radiology, Staff Radiologist, and Chief of Ultrasound. He eventually earned the rank Major, U.S. Army Medical Corp.

Before I found Dr. Radowich online, I had decided that I wanted to interview a radiologist. In high school, I thought about becoming a radiologist because it would allow me to specialize in a field that did not require me to perform surgery. However, the more I thought about it, the less I wanted to do this because these are the doctors that tell you that you have cancer. I did not think that I would be able to tell someone they had such a terrible disease. I wanted to find out how radiologists handle these types of situations.

On November 1, 2010, I met with Dr. Radowich in Annapolis, MD. He was very enthusiastic about the interview, and gave me lots of helpful information. He elaborated on his responses, rather than simply answering the questions. I did not expect him to have a great personality because of his occupation. However, he had a great personality, and I really enjoyed talking with him. I did not have to "probe" him because he gave such detailed and enlightening responses. He spoke very slowly and clearly and kept good eye contact throughout the interview, which is probably how he communicates with his patients. He used his hands a lot while he was talking as well. I also kept good eye contact, and tried to be as clear as possible when asking questions, and asked him to clarify some of his responses when I was unsure of what he was saying. He gave me lots of good examples in his answers.

Because cancer is such a serious medical condition, it is essential for radiologists to communicate effectively with their patients. Dr. Radowich explained to me that he is in favor of patients bringing in a family member with them into his office to take notes and to ask questions because patients are not always thinking clearly if they have just found out that they have cancer. It also gives them emotional support. He told me that some patients are more difficult to deal with than others, and that they do not always fully grasp what he is trying to communicate with them. If he senses that they do not understand what he is saying, he asks them to repeat back to him what he just said in their own words. He has even had his patients record conversations that he has with them. He also recommends that they call him back later after if they have more questions, which he is more than happy to answer.

I was most interested to find out how he communicated bad news to patients. He said that he warns them before their biopsy is conducted if he has a feeling that the results are not going to be good. He tells them not to be surprised if it is cancer. Since the results from the biopsies come after 6 pm, he calls the patients right after dinner because they always want to know as soon as possible. If it is good news, he says, "This is Dr. Radowich, I did your biopsy. The results are in and I have great news for you. The biopsy was 100% benign." However, for bad news, he says, "The results are in (pause) I'm afraid we've got bad news." The reason that he pauses is because it allows them to absorb the fact that bad news is coming.

Another thing that I found interesting was that he admitted that he knew nothing about insurance policies. He said that they hire managers that do understand all of the intricacies, and spend all day working on them. They become experts, and talk to patients to sort out any problems.

Overall, I really enjoyed interviewing Dr. Radowich because it was very insightful, and helped me really learn what it was like to be a radiologist. I really appreciate him taking the time to speak with me though he has such a busy schedule. I can tell that he truly cares for his patients, and makes every effort to give them the best care and most attention possible.

For more information regarding Dr. Radowich or Annapolis Radiology Associates, please visit: http://www.annapolisradiology.com/physicians/radowich.html