Radiography

[killua]

I want to be a radiologist. What subjects should I take in vce?

I am good with physics and maths, bio is okay, but the problem is that I HATE chemistry.

[kauac]

Hi killua, welcome to the ATAR Notes Forum!

That's so exciting that you want to be a radiologist! Just wanted to clarify if you were thinking more of radiology (medicine) OR radiography (imaging technician) , since my advice would be different depending on which one you are thinking about!

In terms of VCE subjects that will be needed/helpful for radiology, I think it depends on whether you are planning to do undergrad or post grad medicine. This thread covers this topic in detail (but bear in mind, it is 3 years old).

However, any kind of medicine requires a reasonable grasp of each of the three branches of science you've listed, and a medical / medicine degree is highly likely to incorporate study in all three of these.

Thinking especially about chemistry, chemistry is often a prerequisite for undergrad medicine. Even if you don't end up studying VCE chemistry, and go into post grad medicine, you are highly likely to encounter chemistry subjects in this degree. So there isn't really a way to avoid chemistry in becoming a radiologist, however, I'd imagine that when you begin to specialise, chemistry will become less important compared to some of the other types of medicine.

I would strongly encourage you to check the entry requirements of the specific undergrad or postgrad courses and uni's you are thinking of applying to, and go from there. At the end of the day, it's not ideal studying a VCE subject that you hate, but if it is going to be important for future studies, then maybe you might need to consider it (or consider other career options).

I would love to see what any current / future med students have to say about this too! 

[Sine]

I don't think what vce subjects you take actually matter that much. Sure take some sciences/math and whatever you need for prerequisites but it ultimately it won't matter too much in the long term.

[AngelWings]

Hey Killua! (Hunter x Hunter reference, right?)

The main courses for undergrad radiography at the 'bigger unis' in Victoria would probably be Monash Uni's Bachelor of Radiography and Medical Imaging (link here, located at Clayton campus) or RMIT's Bachelor of Applied Sciences (Medical Radiations), probably the Medical Imagining - Radiography stream (link here, located at Bundoora campus).

Prereqs for undegrad radiography courses

For Monash, prereqs include:
- raw 30+ SS in English or English equivalent e.g. Literature (excluding EAL, which is 35+ raw)
- raw 25+ SS in Methods or Spesh
- raw 25+ SS in Bio or Physics, so Chem isn't required (this isn't to say that it won't be required at all during the degree)
ATAR required is 93+ (raw) if you have Monash guarantee (usually if you have SEAS i.e. special consideration like low SES area), otherwise, lowest selection rank (your ATAR + SEAS + subject adjustments, if available) is usually in the mid to high 97s. Generally I would aim for the latter.

For RMIT, prereqs include:
- complete either U1 and 2 of Chem or Bio, or U3/4 of Chem or Bio successfully
- raw 25+ SS in English or English equivalent (excluding EAL, which is 30+ raw)
- raw 20+ SS in Methods or Spesh
Lowest selection rank is around the 94-95 range for the Radiography stream.

Basically saying, if you want these two courses:
- Do alright in your English subject.
- Probably take Bio, seeing as that's the most versatile science subject across both courses. You'll probably have to take Biology eventually (in uni, if not in VCE) or will encounter aspects of it in the radiography course (same goes for most health-related courses).
- Methods is probably a subject you'll need to do (since Spesh requires Methods, if my memory is correct).
- Besides this, the rest of your subjects are basically up to you.

Unfortunately, I'm not so good at the radiology side of things, so am not sure how to approach that. I also don't know how much chemistry is involved in radiology or radiography.