Per a request from Dr E to update my status.
No real changes since last year. In fact, I probably can copy and paste the previous update post and it would be true. To keep it similar I’m keeping the same headers.
What’s the lifestyle like?
Fantastic. Even busier than last year but I’m still relaxed and I am still disciplined in splitting my work time from my home time.
Are you busy enough to work full time?
I’m so busy that I am no longer accepting new clients. That hasn’t changed since last year.
How much money are you making?
Still none of your business 😉
Was it worth it?
Absolutely. The best thing I have done.
What’s the next step?
I am very happy with my current status. To be honest I think I am going to keep things status quo for the foreseeable future. Why change what makes you happy?
Thanks OMFR, I’m glad to hear things are still going well! 🙂
Hey OMFR, how many scans do you do per day? Would you say the amount you do is an average for other OMFR’s if not what is the average?
Also my second question is how feasible is setting up your own interpreting service?
The first set of questions reflects on my income a little too closely. I would say I do more than average but I am certainly not the busiest radiologist out there. Part of that is because I have made an effort to do this full time instead of doing it as an adjunct.
It’s very feasible but fairly expensive. Unless you know how to code it yourself. I imagine most radiologists would hire a company to write the portal for them, setup the website, etc… For me personally I have found that this is not an endeavor I want to take. Things are going so great right now and I don’t have to worry about running servers, backups, etc… I can concentrate on interpreting scans.
How much of OMFR is CBCT vs 3-D printing? Have you noticed the field shift towards 3-D modeling?
Thanks!
As a radiologist I have absolutely no contact with 3D printing. 3D modeling I would say is useful for implant guides, pre-surgical stereolithography, and maybe a few other things. That’s something that’s usually handled by a technician rather than an OMR.
Hey there,
Thanks for posting again. I just passed my part one exams and will hopefully get an interview for DMFR. At the school I want to apply there is an assessment day at the interview. I assume it’s based around the subject of DMFR. All the textbooks for DMFR seem really expensive. If you had to recommend some books, what would they be?
Hope you don’t mind me asking, thanks in advance 🙂
Cheers
Tyler
I don’t mind but unfortunately I can’t be that helpful. The only textbook that I used was White and Pharoah’s Oral Radiology. Even then I used it lightly. Sorry I am not much help in this department.
Greetings OMFR!
Thank you very much for doing this through the years and still commenting. I’m very much considering applying later this year but have run into a few issues: Dentistry is my 2nd career (engineer prior to this), and I was never too concerned in dental school about GPA. Just checked it (first time ever) and it’s a 3.1 – oops. I’m also in my mid-30’s, having practiced now for 5+ years. I know you’re not really tied into the academic world, but any insight on these being giant issues? I figure a personal statement and LOR’s go a long way, but being 5 years removed from school, I have no idea what types of applicants these programs are getting.
Also – I see some programs are tuition-based and others are residencies. I’m in your boat – tons of dental school debt. I honestly do not see how doing a tuition-based program is even remotely possible. What do you think? Do you have colleagues from the different types of programs?
At least when I applied, GPA wasn’t that important. What was more important is experience. Having 5 years plus is a good thing. Age isn’t an issue at all. My residence had older and younger than me. What matters is going in with the correct attitude to learn and put in the work.
As far as tuition vs residency I’m not sure. I paid tuition at mine but I also received a stipend the same time that covered it. I had to take some loans to cover living expenses. These were paid off within six months of practicing. The big loans that I have are still from dental school.
EngineerDDS, you’ll have to keep us updated on your journey if you do apply!
Dr. E, for sure. I’ll definitely keep everyone posted and may consider doing something along the lines of what OMFR did. There just needs to be more information out there.
@EnginnerDDS. I would be glad to give you access so that you can write your own posts. It would be an excellent way of knowing different experiences.
OMFR, for sure I will keep you posted on that. The plan is still to apply this year, but it’s also working out the potential financial ramifications of being a poor resident again as well as the realization that I might not get in this first time around.
I have a friend that is an OMFR at a big-name university that I’m keeping in touch with, and I’ll be attending the AAOMR conference this year. With it being in August, I’ll obviously already have my application more or less complete, but my colleague thinks there will still be plenty of time to network at that event, too (with their help, of course.)
Anyway…we’ll see. There’s still a slight chance I elect to hold off. I personally am not chasing a big paycheck, but it’s not just me making this decision. I’m currently in a job that’s well into the six-figure range at only 4 days/week and qualifies for public service loan forgiveness. It’s a very easy decision to choose between the two, as I’d do the residency in a heartbeat, but unfortunately student loans are a ridiculous complication. My back, my ears, my hand (whoever thought extracting teeth all day would hurt so much?) are all telling me they won’t be there for me if general dentistry is what I ask of them the next 6-10 years. And after making the mistake of buying and getting through some of White and Pharoah’s textbook, my brain has all but said “if you don’t do this for me, I’ll never forgive you.” So…aside from my bank account and giving up 3 years of “easy” $150k+ income… everything else seems to agree with jumping into the OMFR Speciality. Needing my loans forgiven will all but ensure I elect to go into academics after the fact, but honestly that’s likely the only way I’d want it if I made the jump anyway. The purpose wouldn’t be just to come an OMFR, but really to try to become an expert in the field. Otherwise, at my age, I’m just better off laying back, taking the paycheck as a GP, and counting the days to retirement. That just seems so sad to me.
It sounds like you’re happy as a private practitioner in radiology, which certainly wouldn’t be a bad plan B, with dentistry being Plan C (academics plan A). Aside from the 2-3 years of lost income, I can’t see a reason not to go at this 100000%.
Yeah EngineerDDS that would be hard to give up an already great income for a couple years. Sounds like you are interested in OMFR for the right reasons though. One of my biggest concerns with radiology is the salary. I will be coming out of school with $400,000 in student loans…. obviously not something that can be ignored. OMFR do you have any comment on how feasable it is to pay off such loans on a radiologists salary? I know that you were also working as a GP to help pay down loans, did that help much?
@EngineerDDS – You have to do what is right for you. I’m not here to convince people in or out of the profession. Just to state my experience.
@Dr. E – I absolutely do not do GP to help pay my student loans. I do it to get out of the house. The OMR profession has been fantastic, financially and otherwise.
Hey there,
Unfortunately the schools in my country arent offering dmfr this year. In the meantime i will continue to do general dentistry. I am a hobby computer programmer and have always considered going back and doing computer engineering but i have settled on dmfr. Do you know of dmfrs in the industry who have gone on to consult for tech companies or work within them? In dmfr in our country it is basically a phd, do you think computer programming could tie into dmfr in some way? Thanks in advance, this is a great website.
Kind regards
Hello Tyler,
Other than researchers I have met in academia, I don’t know anyone who has gone on to consult for tech companies. That being said, I would imagine that there is a definite field for that.
In my humble opinion computer programming ties into every field in dentistry. I have personally written software that has significantly improved my workflow and time per report. You might find the next big thing.
Thats awesome. Thanks for the response, i appreciate it.
I agree. Coding makes you think about tasks differently.
Cheers
Out of curiosity, did you ever consider going into the programming as a career?
From your posts you come off similar to me, in that you searched for something a bit more introverted. In the book “So good they can’t ignore you” from Cal Newport, he argues against doing a complete career/field change if you’ve put so many hours into a specific field already. Hence, I’m cautious about doing a complete career switch and feel DMFR will allow me to work with computers. But I’d assume I wouldn’t want to leave it at just reporting but be able to work on other projects. Does that sound deluded to do a 3 years program and to assume you can work outside it on other things?
Do you see yourself branching out into anything further or working on any side projects related to DMFR?
Thanks for your advice so far. Sorry for the waffly questions
What an interesting question! So here’s my experience.
– I am very much a computer/tech person and coding is a hobby of mine. Radiology certainly lets you work more with computers. I would think if you wanted to program there are plenty of research based opportunities out there. There is also writing your own radiology software or any other myriad of private ideas that you can go with. I wouldn’t necessarily go into the field for that, but it certainly would give you the freedom to pursue your programming hobby.
Thanks for the thoughtful answer, appreciate it. It sounds promisingly, hopefully i will start by doing my initial research related to programming.
Cheers
Hey
Probably the biggest “buzz” topic of radiology is artificial intelligence. After listening to quite a few opinions online from different events and podcasts, I feel the general consensus is radiologists won’t be replaced and overall the public will benefit greatly. What’s your opinion? Doyou think OMFRs will need to expand into other areas like being more involved in the surgical planning of implants?
Enjoyed your advice so far.
Thanks
Interesting topic. I would agree that there’s been a lot of buzz around this lately. For the foreseeable future I just don’t see AI taking over. I can see it assisting radiologists in pointing things out but at the end of the day you will likely still have to review the scan and make sure everything is correct.
Right now I see it more of automating repetitive things like creating images and pointing out variations in bone. I would say the profession is very safe.
Thanks for the response. Its good to know before entering study.
Cheers
Would love a 2020 update! hows the job market by the way too