Hello,
I just started my fourth year of medical school. I am impressed by the amount of information on this site and the very helpful commments. It really is a testament to the type of people participating in this forum. That is why I am seeking advice about a dilemma: Shoud I pursue Heme Onc or Rad Onc?
My career goals: I want to stay in oncology and in academic medicine. I want an enviornment where I can work with cancer patients and have a significant amount of time to start up a lab to work on developing new cancer therapies. I am more focused on basic/clinical research but I am not willing to give up patient care completely. As if I'm not already asking for too much, I want enough free time to avoid having a dysfunctional family.
The pros/cons for Heme Onc: I really enjoyed my Heme Onc rotation. I'm hearing that the Heme Onc section is interested in me staying on as a resident-fellow and may even offer funding for research during my residency+fellowship (its a top 10 if not top 5 program)!! And the 80/20 program as an attending is very attractive. But, the IM residency tends to make people pretty bitter and the time commitment may not be conducive to research until I am way into my fellowship. It seems like a lot of delayed gratification.
The pros/cons for Rad Onc: I right now started my Rad Onc rotation. I can gain a comprehensive background in oncology. There's a lot of interesting and cutting edge radiotherapies out there. The structure of RadOnc may be more conducive to research during the residency. I've only seen happy Rad Onc residents. The research in radiobiology is extremely fascinating. But it's extremely competitive to get into a residency. The research involves radiobiology so much so that research in other important aspects of cancer biology may not get well deserved attention. You may not have the patient base to conduct or direct clinical trials like the Heme Oncs can. Would Rad Onc programs offer funding for research during the residency (like the potential offer I may get in Heme Onc)? Is there an 80-20 program as a rad onc attending.
Right now I vascillate between Rad Onc and Heme Onc on a daily basis even though I am slightly leaning toward Rad Onc. Although most people on this site likely favor rad onc, I was wondering if the viewers could post a balanced position of why they chose Rad Onc over Heme Onc (if they considered the two). I will make a decision soon but I just want to hear multiple viewpoints before I make that decision and go after it. Thanks for taking the time to read this long post and provide any insight.
MTS
I just started my fourth year of medical school. I am impressed by the amount of information on this site and the very helpful commments. It really is a testament to the type of people participating in this forum. That is why I am seeking advice about a dilemma: Shoud I pursue Heme Onc or Rad Onc?
My career goals: I want to stay in oncology and in academic medicine. I want an enviornment where I can work with cancer patients and have a significant amount of time to start up a lab to work on developing new cancer therapies. I am more focused on basic/clinical research but I am not willing to give up patient care completely. As if I'm not already asking for too much, I want enough free time to avoid having a dysfunctional family.
The pros/cons for Heme Onc: I really enjoyed my Heme Onc rotation. I'm hearing that the Heme Onc section is interested in me staying on as a resident-fellow and may even offer funding for research during my residency+fellowship (its a top 10 if not top 5 program)!! And the 80/20 program as an attending is very attractive. But, the IM residency tends to make people pretty bitter and the time commitment may not be conducive to research until I am way into my fellowship. It seems like a lot of delayed gratification.
The pros/cons for Rad Onc: I right now started my Rad Onc rotation. I can gain a comprehensive background in oncology. There's a lot of interesting and cutting edge radiotherapies out there. The structure of RadOnc may be more conducive to research during the residency. I've only seen happy Rad Onc residents. The research in radiobiology is extremely fascinating. But it's extremely competitive to get into a residency. The research involves radiobiology so much so that research in other important aspects of cancer biology may not get well deserved attention. You may not have the patient base to conduct or direct clinical trials like the Heme Oncs can. Would Rad Onc programs offer funding for research during the residency (like the potential offer I may get in Heme Onc)? Is there an 80-20 program as a rad onc attending.
Right now I vascillate between Rad Onc and Heme Onc on a daily basis even though I am slightly leaning toward Rad Onc. Although most people on this site likely favor rad onc, I was wondering if the viewers could post a balanced position of why they chose Rad Onc over Heme Onc (if they considered the two). I will make a decision soon but I just want to hear multiple viewpoints before I make that decision and go after it. Thanks for taking the time to read this long post and provide any insight.
MTS