ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this article is to discuss the importance of radiology learners building a personal knowledge of radiology through observation, trial and error, and meaningful interaction with educators rather than through memorization of rules and algorithms. CONCLUSION. To become a radiologist is to join a community, one shaped by countless predecessors and educators, including many whose distinctive contributions remain unknown. More-experienced radiologists have a crucial role in challenging learners and showing what knowledge, skill, experience, and judgment look like in practice, as opposed to on a page or in a diagram. Radiology educators must ensure that mere data transmission never supplants the "why" of becoming a radiologist.
