Oncology--Depressing Field

[djc1981]

Did any of you see the PBS documentary about children and their families dealing w/ cancer? It would take alot of strength to be an oncologist, especially a pediatric oncologist. I don't know if I could separate myself emotionally enough to deal with it. I was crying just watching the show. It seems though, that the field is very competitive to get into. I just can't help but wonder why so many want to get into a field where often the outcome isn't so great. I guess that could be said for any field in medicine though.. 😕

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[BradenDO]

Did any of you see the PBS documentary about children and their families dealing w/ cancer? It would take alot of strength to be an oncologist, especially a pediatric oncologist. I don't know if I could separate myself emotionally enough to deal with it. I was crying just watching the show. It seems though, that the field is very competitive to get into. I just can't help but wonder why so many want to get into a field where often the outcome isn't so great. I guess that could be said for any field in medicine though.. 😕

Oh my gosh! I don't know if we watched the same one, but I bawled when I watched it. There was a 13 year old with cancer and she was talking about how she takes care of the younger kids at the hospital because she knows that they're hurting and she wants to make them feel better. It seriously makes me cry when I tell people about it! The little girl had a rough life, but she was so caring and unselfish that she put the little kids first. What an awesome kid!

 

[Hardbody]

Did any of you see the PBS documentary about children and their families dealing w/ cancer? It would take alot of strength to be an oncologist, especially a pediatric oncologist. I don't know if I could separate myself emotionally enough to deal with it. I was crying just watching the show. It seems though, that the field is very competitive to get into. I just can't help but wonder why so many want to get into a field where often the outcome isn't so great. I guess that could be said for any field in medicine though.. 😕

If you are going D.O. you will not have to worry about Oncology. You will not have the option to be an oncologist (realistic/reasonable chance). There is one D.O. Oncology residency in the entire country and I doubt an M.D. Residency would take a D.O. seriously in applying to this particular specialty.

 

[MSc44]

Oh my gosh! I don't know if we watched the same one, but I bawled when I watched it. There was a 13 year old with cancer and she was talking about how she takes care of the younger kids at the hospital because she knows that they're hurting and she wants to make them feel better. It seriously makes me cry when I tell people about it! The little girl had a rough life, but she was so caring and unselfish that she put the little kids first. What an awesome kid!

Honistly, i consider myself a preety strong guy when it comes to upsetting stuff like that and how it affects me................and i had to change the channel b/c it was ruff to watch, i could never do onc. esp peds onc

 

[jbone]

If you are going D.O. you will not have to worry about Oncology. You will not have the option to be an oncologist (realistic/reasonable chance). There is one D.O. Oncology residency in the entire country and I doubt an M.D. Residency would take a D.O. seriously in applying to this particular specialty.

What a stupid post. I work at a children's hospital (like the one in the show)and I personally know TWO well-respected DO oncologist. And I live one the west coast where DOs are hard to find. 🙄 Get your facts right before you go spewing this shiz around on these boards. 👎

 

[Hardbody]

What a stupid post. I work at a children's hospital (like the one in the show)and I personally know TWO well-respected DO oncologist. 🙄 Get your facts right before you go spewing this shiz around on these boards. 👎

Stupid huh? I don't post "shiz" for starters. Why don't you do yourself a favor and work on your reading comprehension skills. You forgot to bold face the (realistic/reasonable chance). Please, don't take me out of context. If you believe that it is reasonable to believe that oncology is obtainable going the osteopathic route you are lying to yourself. I'll grant you, this is one of the few areas in medicine where this is true.

I will cite the 2004 Annual Report on Osteopathic Medical Education put out by AACOM. On page 54 you will find a report on what fields of medicine osteo graduates are entering. It does not represent data from EVERY residency program a D.O. is in, but it is close enough to be very accurate. Guess what? The numbers of Osteo grads in either AOA or ACGME accredited oncology residencies are so small that it doesn't even list oncology!!!!!!!!!! Please, show the forum some data and prove me wrong. As a 2007 admission cycle applicant to osteo schools I would LOVE to be wrong.

BTW, that is pretty cool that you know two well respected D.O. oncologists, but it is anecdotal evidence.

 

[MoxieDO]

Stupid huh? I don't post "shiz" for starters. Why don't you do yourself a favor and work on your reading comprehension skills. You forgot to bold face the (realistic/reasonable chance). Please, don't take me out of context. If you believe that it is reasonable to believe that oncology is obtainable going the osteopathic route you are lying to yourself. I'll grant you, this is one of the few areas in medicine where this is true.

I will cite the 2004 Annual Report on Osteopathic Medical Education put out by AACOM. On page 54 you will find a report on what fields of medicine osteo graduates are entering. It does not represent data from EVERY residency program a D.O. is in, but it is close enough to be very accurate. Guess what? The numbers of Osteo grads in either AOA or ACGME accredited oncology residencies are so small that it doesn't even list oncology!!!!!!!!!! Please, show the forum some data and prove me wrong. As a 2007 admission cycle applicant to osteo schools I would LOVE to be wrong.

BTW, that is pretty cool that you know two well respected D.O. oncologists, but it is anecdotal evidence.

Quit trying to cover up for your low self-esteem and short comings of the loser you are. This discussion is about the repercussions of entering a field that involves such high emotional distress.

Continue discussion....

 

[Raven Feather]

If you are going D.O. you will not have to worry about Oncology. You will not have the option to be an oncologist (realistic/reasonable chance). There is one D.O. Oncology residency in the entire country and I doubt an M.D. Residency would take a D.O. seriously in applying to this particular specialty.

I don't believe the OP was trying to convey the idea that he or she was particularly interested in this field, just discussing it and how it is so competitive yet appears so depressing. Therefore, unless, I am wrong, your comment was unnecessary. Sorry.

 

[Hardbody]

What a stupid post. I work at a children's hospital (like the one in the show)and I personally know TWO well-respected DO oncologist. And I live one the west coast where DOs are hard to find. 🙄 Get your facts right before you go spewing this shiz around on these boards. 👎

BTW, if anyone wants to do a search for practicing D.O. oncologists use this website. They will be listed if they are members of the AOA. Take jbone's home state, california for example. Try taking the number of all oncologists listed (yes, both of them) and divide it by the total number of D.O.'s in this list. Multiply it by 100, this will give you the percentage of AOA member D.O.'s that practice oncology in California (largest state in the country). I'll take my chances with the lotto !

http://www.osteopathic.org/directory.cfm

 

[Bluemirage]

Sorry to break it to you but your argument is seriously flawed. First of all oncology is not a residency. That is probably why it is not listed. You will not find GI, Cardiology or Pulmonology & other IM subspecialties listed on your list either. It is a 2 year fellowship completed after an internal medicine residency (3 years if completing a Hem/Onc fellowship). There no lists in existence that I know of that track the numbers of DO fellows graduating from fellowships There are plenty of DO oncologists around. If you don't believe me do a quick serach under your state osteopathic association. I think you should check up on your facts before discouraging others.

Stupid huh? I don't post "shiz" for starters. Why don't you do yourself a favor and work on your reading comprehension skills. You forgot to bold face the (realistic/reasonable chance). Please, don't take me out of context. If you believe that it is reasonable to believe that oncology is obtainable going the osteopathic route you are lying to yourself. I'll grant you, this is one of the few areas in medicine where this is true.

I will cite the 2004 Annual Report on Osteopathic Medical Education put out by AACOM. On page 54 you will find a report on what fields of medicine osteo graduates are entering. It does not represent data from EVERY residency program a D.O. is in, but it is close enough to be very accurate. Guess what? The numbers of Osteo grads in either AOA or ACGME accredited oncology residencies are so small that it doesn't even list oncology!!!!!!!!!! Please, show the forum some data and prove me wrong. As a 2007 admission cycle applicant to osteo schools I would LOVE to be wrong.

BTW, that is pretty cool that you know two well respected D.O. oncologists, but it is anecdotal evidence.

 

[Hardbody]

Quit trying to cover up for your low self-esteem and short comings of the loser you are. This discussion is about the repercussions of entering a field that involves such high emotional distress.

Continue discussion....

Speak for yourself pal. You couldn't fill my shoes on your best day. You obviously have "low self-esteem" because apparently I have offended you. I pursue basically the same career as you, but yet I keep it real. The discussion is a moot point if you are planning on getting into osteopathic medicine. I just wanted to convey that message to the OP.

As far as this field having such high emotional distress, I agree with you. You have to have a different kind of personality to want to enter this field, and thus I have the highest respect for the field.

To the OP: I did not mean to hijack your thread, so just keep in mind what I wrote if you are considering on pursuing oncology.

 

[Hardbody]

I don't believe the OP was trying to convey the idea that he or she was particularly interested in this field, just discussing it and how it is so competitive yet appears so depressing. Therefore, unless, I am wrong, your comment was unnecessary. Sorry.

Your right, it was not necessary. Just wanted to get that out there.

 

[Hardbody]

Sorry to break it to you but your argument is seriously flawed. First of all oncology is not a residency. That is probably why it is not listed. You will not find GI, Cardiology or Pulmonology & other IM subspecialties listed on your list either. It is a 2 year fellowship completed after an internal medicine residency (3 years if completing a Hem/Onc fellowship). There no lists in existence that I know of that track the numbers of DO fellows graduating from fellowships There are plenty of DO oncologists around. If you don't believe me do a quick serach under your state osteopathic association. I think you should check up on your facts before discouraging others.

http://www.osteopathic.org/directory.cfm

Thank you for the correction on the fellowship issue. What I found with the search option on this directory was not encouraging to anyone pursuing osteopathy/oncology. See for yourself.

 

[MoxieDO]

Speak for yourself pal. You couldn't fill my shoes on your best day. You obviously have "low self-esteem" because apparently I have offended you. I pursue basically the same career as you, but yet I keep it real. The discussion is a moot point if you are planning on getting into osteopathic medicine. I just wanted to convey that message to the OP.

As far as this field having such high emotional distress, I agree with you. You have to have a different kind of personality to want to enter this field, and thus I have the highest respect for the field.

To the OP: I did not mean to hijack your thread, so just keep in mind what I wrote if you are considering on pursuing oncology.

You're right, they are too small. I would just 1) like to see people stay on topic and 2) stop these ridiculous flame wars and have a decent educated discussion on whatever hot topic comes up about osteopathic medicine. Whatever it is you wanted to discuss, this was not the thread to do it in. Too often I see people throwing "moot" points here and there without any reason. Why not start a new thread with a concise, factual, and contemplative arguement about DOs in the field of oncology. Instead you threw out whatever is in your head without adding purpose or meaning to your statement. I am not offended, simply annoyed.

 

[jbone]

Stupid huh? I don't post "shiz" for starters. Why don't you do yourself a favor and work on your reading comprehension skills. You forgot to bold face the (realistic/reasonable chance). Please, don't take me out of context. If you believe that it is reasonable to believe that oncology is obtainable going the osteopathic route you are lying to yourself. I'll grant you, this is one of the few areas in medicine where this is true.

BTW, that is pretty cool that you know two well respected D.O. oncologists, but it is anecdotal evidence.

I'll get right on improving my reading skills.
I sure hope you work on your personal skills. 🙄
Did you not state: "If you are going D.O. you will not have to worry about Oncology"?? How about: "I doubt an M.D. Residency would take a D.O. seriously in applying to this particular specialty". Does that ring a bell? Oh of course you would know that for a fact. I'm sure you have been in on many residency interviews for oncology. My bad. 🙄 How do you work in such absolutes?? I told you that I personally know 2 DO oncologists as evidence and you call it "anecdotal evidence". It is evidence none the less and it proves that it is very possible to do what ever the hell you want to as a DO. Even if it is more difficult. Period. Have a nice day and good luck to you. 👍
Sorry OP, but this crap annoys me beyond belief.

 

[Hardbody]

You're right, they are too small. I would just 1) like to see people stay on topic and 2) stop these ridiculous flame wars and have a decent educated discussion on whatever hot topic comes up about osteopathic medicine. Whatever it is you wanted to discuss, this was not the thread to do it in. Too often I see people throwing "moot" points here and there without any reason. Why not start a new thread with a concise, factual, and contemplative arguement about DOs in the field of oncology. Instead you threw out whatever is in your head without adding purpose or meaning to your statement. I am not offended, simply annoyed.

1. Your right, maybe this thread wasn't the place to state my point. It would have been better suited in a PM. I forgot that there are "low self-esteem" viewers on here like yourself that are easily offended .

2. I do not throw out whatever is in my head, I made a valid point.

3. If you want concise, then why don't you follow your own advice?

4. My purpose was to give the OP (who apparently has an interest in oncology) a realistic analysis of what his/her odds are of becoming an osteopath/oncologist.

5. If I annoy you that easily you need to get a life.

 

[Hardbody]

I'll get right on improving my reading skills. I sure hope you work on your personal skills. 🙄
Did you not state: "If you are going D.O. you will not have to worry about Oncology"?? How about: "I doubt an M.D. Residency would take a D.O. seriously in applying to this particular specialty". Does that ring a bell? Oh of course you would know that for a fact. I'm sure you have been in on many residency interviews for oncology. My bad. 🙄 How do you work in such absolutes?? I told you that I personally know 2 DO oncologists as evidence and you call it "anecdotal evidence". It is evidence none the less and it proves that it is very possible to do what ever the hell you want to as a DO. Even if it is more difficult. Period. Have a nice day and good luck to you. 👍
Sorry OP, but this crap annoys me beyond belief.

Why is it that you seem to get "annoyed" when I tell talk truth?

 

[jbone]

Why is it that you seem to get "annoyed" when I tell talk truth?

when you tell talk truth? wtf? Dude, drop it. If you feel you must be limited by numbers/stats etc, then so be it. Many of us here have beaten the odds to get here and they don't mean **** to us. Have a good one. 😀

 

[Hardbody]

I'll get right on improving my reading skills.
I sure hope you work on your personal skills. 🙄
Did you not state: "If you are going D.O. you will not have to worry about Oncology"?? How about: "I doubt an M.D. Residency would take a D.O. seriously in applying to this particular specialty". Does that ring a bell? Oh of course you would know that for a fact. I'm sure you have been in on many residency interviews for oncology. My bad. 🙄 How do you work in such absolutes?? I told you that I personally know 2 DO oncologists as evidence and you call it "anecdotal evidence". It is evidence none the less and it proves that it is very possible to do what ever the hell you want to as a DO. Even if it is more difficult. Period. Have a nice day and good luck to you. 👍
Sorry OP, but this crap annoys me beyond belief.

I don't work on absolutes, that is why I threw the (reasonable/realistic chance) in there. I would be interested to know what these two DO oncologists that you know scored on their boards and what their class rank is? I bet they weren't your typical students. I would also be willing to bet they had to sacrafice much more than what your typical med student is willing to sacrafice to achieve the goal of becoming an oncologist.

 

[Bluemirage]

Again, I'm not trying to be a pain in the ass or argumentative. Please read my post again. Cadiology, Oncology, Nephrology etc are all Internal Medicine subspecialties. Go to your directory and click only on internal medicine. I clicked on Texas and Voila...a whole bunch of DO cardiologists, DO oncologists, DO gastroenterologists, DO nephrologists etc poped up. Please do get your facts straight before spreading misinformation that demotivates others. There are plenty of opportunities for people to pursue these specialties if they bust their asses and do well.

http://www.osteopathic.org/directory.cfm

Thank you for the correction on the fellowship issue. What I found with the search option on this directory was not encouraging to anyone pursuing osteopathy/oncology. See for yourself.

 

[Hardbody]

when you tell talk truth? wtf? Dude, drop it. If you feel you must be limited by numbers/stats etc, then so be it. Many of us here have beaten the odds to get here and they don't mean **** to us. Have a good one. 😀

Obviously you think that I don't know what it is like to beat odds? This is the problem with online, you never know who you are talking to and everything always gets taken out of context and blown out of proportion. BTW, I am glad to hear you are beating the odds, I can relate 👍 .

BTW, the "tell talk truth" is the result of going hard from 5am to midnight Monday through Thursday, and Friday 5am until 9:30pm.

 

[jbone]

I don't work on absolutes, that is why I threw the (reasonable/realistic chance) in there. I would be interested to know what these two DO oncologists that you know scored on their boards and what their class rank is? I bet they weren't your typical students. I would also be willing to bet they had to sacrafice much more than what your typical med student is willing to sacrafice to achieve the goal of becoming an oncologist.

Yes, but you are still generalizing here. Why can't a typical DO student become an oncologist?
But yes, you must be an exceptional student REGARDLESS of the stupid initials by your name to compete in any competative field. 👍

 

[Hardbody]

Again, I'm not trying to be a pain in the ass or argumentative. Please read my post again. Cadiology, Oncology, Nephrology etc are all Internal Medicine subspecialties. Go to your directory and click only on internal medicine. I clicked on Texas and Voila...a whole bunch of DO cardiologists, DO oncologists, DO gastroenterologists, DO nephrologists etc poped up. Please do get your facts straight before spreading misinformation that demotivates others. There are plenty of opportunities for people to pursue these specialties if they bust their asses and do well.

Texas does seem to have the highest number of DO oncologists for whatever reason.

 

[Hardbody]

I've obviously p!ssed some people off, so I want to apologize if I have. I will concede that I must be in the wrong since I am being flamed by numerous posters. Please no more posts attacking me, I am done posting on this thread after this.

One day people on this forum may very well be referring patients to other former sdn posters (scary thought, ). As fate would have it, some us may even work together down the road. We should all strive to keep our posts civil.

 

[dara678]

i shadowed a peds onc doc for a year --- it was super depressing and afterwards i decided not to be a peds hem-onc doc. it's just that the kids you see are so darned resilient and courageous, and it's ultra-frustrating when you can't do a thing to help them. and it's so so tough when these patients you have come to know and love pass away. kudos to those who can do it -- i certainly am not strong enough to.

as for the person who said DOs can't be oncologists -- obviously you haven't worked or been in a children's hospital. there are DOs everywhere, and many of them are specialists. in medicine you're going to have to learn to respect everyone in the hospital -- from your attending all the way down to the janitor. they can make your life difficult if you don't.

 

[jbone]

i shadowed a peds onc doc for a year --- it was super depressing and afterwards i decided not to be a peds hem-onc doc. it's just that the kids you see are so darned resilient and courageous, and it's ultra-frustrating when you can't do a thing to help them. and it's so so tough when these patients you have come to know and love pass away. kudos to those who can do it -- i certainly am not strong enough to.

as for the person who said DOs can't be oncologists -- obviously you haven't worked or been in a children's hospital. there are DOs everywhere, and many of them are specialists. in medicine you're going to have to learn to respect everyone in the hospital -- from your attending all the way down to the janitor. they can make your life difficult if you don't.

Great post! Like I stated earlier, I currently work in a children's hospital in the laboratory and we work with Heme-Onc patients all the time. It sure puts things in perspective. When I'm having a bad day, I just go to the cafeteria and see what challenges these little people are experiencing. Then my problems seem so insignificant in comparison, and I almost forget what I was down about. I can't even imagine being in that situation or having my own children suffering like they do. Then I realize how lucky I am to have so much. 👍
It sure adds a great perspective on life. I know it takes someone special to work with these kids day in and day out. I don't think I could do it.
🙂

 

[Vox Animo]

This guy i work with at my summer job has a son that is a pediatric oncologist. He just finished the fellowship and has job offers from everywhere. Its interesting though what he said. When the children first come to the hospital they always draw pictures of themselves outside playing with others. He always knows when they are about to go because then they only draw pictures of themselves. Its really sad. I think i could handle ped onc better than adult. Children seem to be able to handle it better. And it would be satisfying, comforting people as much as you can before they pass, and you would make such close connections with your patients and their families

 

[gtleeee]

Hardbody......I think that what annoyed people about your original 2 posts was that they were blatantly incorrect, not that you pricked anyones "self-esteem". Even in "my day", graduating from an osteopathic institution (KUMB) in 1985, there were plenty of D.O. Oncologists in the U.S. to be found, and they are many more in the present.. The nonsense of telling people they "don't have to worry" about becoming an Oncologist, as you "doubt an MD residency would take a D.O. seriously", is obviously and patently untrue. When others brought it to your attention that Oncology is a subspeciallty of Internal Medicine you went off on a disjointed attack concerning D.O. students "self esteem". Surely (or I hope), you see how ridiculous your posts appear to others. It has nothing to do with any Osteopathic "esteem" or lack there of, but rather your obvious arrogant and mean "mind set". Ask yourself why you would post such things in a thread where people are discussing the cruel and heart rending nature of pediatric oncology? It has to concern something more substantial than having a bad day or just not thinking before writing your post. Good luck to you though, you are probably just starting out in this medical "gig" and you (as all of us) will need all the luck you can get. It's a tough business (in every respect), and your energy is surely better suited to other and more valuable tasks.





Gtleeee

 

[group_theory]

The medical world can be confusing and to someone who admits that he/she is just starting the journey ... sometimes misunderstandings can occur.

The above posters are correct in that there is no oncology residency. The closest thing is a "radiation oncology" residency -that field right now is EXTREMELY competitive. The other routes are done via fellowship. For adults, you have to do a general internal medicine residency (3 years) first. Then you can do a fellowship (2-3 years) in either hematology/oncology (3 years) or straight oncology (2 years). For kids, you have to do a pediatric residency (3 years) followed by a peds heme/onc fellowship (3 years). There is no ped oncology fellowship at this moment. In terms of competitiveness, internal medicine and pediatrics are generally DO friendly (although a few programs do hold some bias). Come fellowship time, it's more "who you know" and where you're doing your residency than where you went to med school.

The following statistics comes from JAMA Vol 294, No. 9 (Sept 7, 2005) issue on medical education and talks about residents in ACGME residencies as of Aug 1, 2004

P.S. Some of the "total" numbers don't add up because I'm not putting in the numbers for IMGs and Canadians

P.S.S. Don't put too much weight on the numbers and percentages. I haven't done any statistical analysis to show that the difference is statistically significant. So in the era of EBM, don't make any conclusions/statements without any statistical workup. Remember, there are a lot of outside variables involved

Total DO in ACGME: 5675
Total Number of Residents/Fellows: 101,291
Percent DO: 5.6%

General Internal Medicine
Total # of Programs: 387
Total # of Residents: 21332
Total # of USMD: 11271
Total # of DO: 1097
Percent DO: 5.1%

Hematology/Oncology
Total # of Programs: 123
Total # of Fellows: 1020
Total # of USMD: 595
Total # of DO: 46
Percent DO: 4.5%

Oncology
Total # of Programs: 20
Total # of Fellows: 208
Total # of USMD: 140
Total # of DO: 6
Percent DO: 2.9%

Pediatrics
Total # of Programs: 204
Total # of Residents: 7811
Total # of USMD: 5415
Total # of DO: 442
Percent DO: 5.7%

Pediatric Heme/Onc
Total # of Programs: 60
Total # of Fellows: 312
Total # of USMD: 230
Total # of DO: 5
Percent DO: 1.6%

Radiation/Oncology
Total # of Programs: 79
Total # of Residents: 526
Total # of USMD: 493
Total # of DO: 8
Percent DO: 1.5%

 

[Hardbody]

Hardbody......I think that what annoyed people about your original 2 posts was that they were blatantly incorrect, not that you pricked anyones "self-esteem". Even in "my day", graduating from an osteopathic institution (KUMB) in 1985, there were plenty of D.O. Oncologists in the U.S. to be found, and they are many more in the present.. The nonsense of telling people they "don't have to worry" about becoming an Oncologist, as you "doubt an MD residency would take a D.O. seriously", is obviously and patently untrue. When others brought it to your attention that Oncology is a subspeciallty of Internal Medicine you went off on a disjointed attack concerning D.O. students "self esteem". Surely (or I hope), you see how ridiculous your posts appear to others. It has nothing to do with any Osteopathic "esteem" or lack there of, but rather your obvious arrogant and mean "mind set". Ask yourself why you would post such things in a thread where people are discussing the cruel and heart rending nature of pediatric oncology? It has to concern something more substantial than having a bad day or just not thinking before writing your post. Good luck to you though, you are probably just starting out in this medical "gig" and you (as all of us) will need all the luck you can get. It's a tough business (in every respect), and your energy is surely better suited to other and more valuable tasks.





Gtleeee

I promised I wouldn't respond on this thread again (breaking this promise), but what you wrote is mostly true. I did not start the "self-esteem" crack, but I did come off the wrong way. I am not arrogant or mean either, when people interact online it is difficult to gage the tone and context in which things ar written.

 

[Faraaz23]

Do we need to create a sticky thread just for this? I'm almost positive off the top of my head that its covered in the FAQ (that certain people don't seem to read). DO's can go into ANY speciality. It may be harder for them to get in certain ones (medical oncology is not even closest to being the hardest to get)... but those are often the same specialties that US grads have a tough time getting into. A few DO's have even matched into Rad Onc (one of the 3 toughest residencies to get along with Integrated Plastics and Derm). On top of it, as its been mentioned, Hem/Onc is an internal medicine subspecialty. It is NOT a residency. If you go to a well respected internal medicine residency, you'll have a shot at the Hem/Onc fellowships. Plenty of DO's are going into good medicine programs (a program does not have to be MGH or Yale New Haven to be "good" and garnish respect from fellowship directors). The playing ground is becoming more level every year for DO's.

It's all about how YOU perform.

 

[GregsAnatomy]

If you are going D.O. you will not have to worry about Oncology. You will not have the option to be an oncologist (realistic/reasonable chance). There is one D.O. Oncology residency in the entire country and I doubt an M.D. Residency would take a D.O. seriously in applying to this particular specialty.

There is no such thing as an oncology residency. Hematology/Oncology is a fellowship done following an Internal Medicine residency. Getting a spot in a Hematology/Oncology is somewhat competitive, and is largely based on your performance as an Internal Medicine resident.

 

[signomi]

I'm in the midst of applying for palliative care fellowship...100% of the patients die. 😱

 

[gtleeee]

When a fellow can admit he's wrong as readily and candidly as you have says something very positive about character. I wish I had had that much "character" at some points in my life. Have a good one Hardbody.)

 

[Vox Animo]

I'm in the midst of applying for palliative care fellowship...100% of the patients die. 😱

Funny, i was talking about fields with extremely high mortality rates with a radiologist i was shadowing. He told me don't think of that because the mortalitry rate of all patients is 100% eventually.

Interesting way to look at it...