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Careers in Oncology
At first pass many people think oncology is depressing. [1]
There are many ways to be involved with cancer care. All family physicians are involved with prevention, screening and early detection and will care for patients with cancer concurrently with oncologists during active treatment and as the primary provider after treatment and at the end of life. There are many was to specialize in cancer care:
medical oncology
radiation oncology
surgical oncology
gynecology oncology
What makes someone choose oncology?
There are probably as many reasons as there are oncologists but a few reasons might be:
personal experience with cancer, raising awareness and interest
scientific interest, research background or desire to have an academic/research based practice
nature of relationship with patient - intense, involves individual and family and opportunity to make a big difference for people
technical aspects of oncology (procedures, radiation...)
All oncologists are involved with patient care.
It’s not all bad news :
there is the opportunity to make a difference for people with curative and palliative treatment.
scientific and technological advancements (cancer biology, molecular biology, genetics, biochemistry, diagnostic imaging, pharmacology)
dynamic field - evolving constantly
diverse practice - within oncology and day to day in chosen area
interprofessional teams
meaningful patient relationships
personal satisfaction
There are companion modules exploring some of these career paths in more depth. At present we do not have a module on gynecological oncology a specialty focusing on the management of female genital tract cancers. Gyne Onc is a subspecialty of gynecology:
4 years of Obstetrics and Gynecology
2 years of specialty training
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1. This section builds on a presentation by Dr. Nawaid Usmani, March 2003, when he was a PGY2 in Radiation Oncology at Queen's University.