There are various types of radiology director jobs. One type involves supervising clinical functions while another focuses on managing business functions. Other radiology directors do both. In addition, it is important to note that radiology director jobs can be categorized based on the setting in which the director works. A radiology director might work in an inpatient, outpatient, or research setting. They might have direct patient contact or their work may be conducted remotely.
Radiology director jobs with responsibility for clinical functions might include supervising clinical staff like radiologists and radiology technicians. In this capacity, the director would likely be responsible for quality assurance. Radiologic education and experience is therefore critical and might come in the form of a medical degree in radiology.
If the position involves managing business functions, duties would focus on related budgetary, management, and operations issues. Medical training may not be as necessary for this type of radiology director position. A bachelor’s or master’s degree in business may be preferred or even required.
Those director positions that both oversee clinical operations as well as business operations are perhaps the most common. In this type of position, the radiology director might be directly involved in all aspects of the practice. Alternatively, direct supervision might be delegated to assistant directors. Medical training may or may not be required for this type of director position.
Whether the focus is on the clinical or business side, a hospital radiology director will likely have increased interactions with different types of members of the health care team. Medical staff, hospital administrators, and other physicians who interact with the radiology department may need the assistance of the radiology director.
A radiology director for an entire healthcare system or network of hospitals would likely be a more senior member of the administration. In this position, the duties may include managing the radiology directors at each hospital, coordinating implementation of radiology information systems across all radiology departments, and ensuring that policies, procedures, and position descriptions are uniform at all sites.
Radiology director jobs in freestanding radiology practices can include additional duties, such as community relations, government relations, and other functions that would typically be handled by administrators within a hospital or health system setting. This type of position can also include responsibility for acting as a liaison with hospitals and doctors that might have contracts with the independent practice.
Ultimately, the scope of the job will depend on the particular radiology director job description — many involve a combination of duties. As a result, it is important for a candidate for a radiology director job to be completely certain about the scope of the position before accepting it.
