Oncology PM&R ?

[LIDO]

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I was curious how often PM&R physicians work in cancer centers? Do fellowships exist for such positions and if so are they competitive? Also, considering that most cancer centers are "academic" centers, would your salary be dramatically lower?

Thank you in advance.

 

[SSdoc33]

there are no fellowships.

some PM&R docs do some work with cancer patients -- post-op lymphedema patients, rehab of deconditioned patients, precenting pathological fracture care -- although usually its only a smallpart of their practice.

i have never heard of a physiatrist solely working for a cancer center, but i suppose it could be out there.

 

[fozzy40]

Cancer rehabilitation is actually an up and coming subspecialty in the PM&R world. As you can imagine, with medicine and technology getting better patients with cancer are surviving longer. They have very specific impairments related to cancer survivorship and our aggressive treatments i.e. lymphedema, pelvic floor dysfunction, contracture management, chemo related peripheral neuropathy, cancer related fatigue, musculoskeletal complaints, etc.

There are only 2 cancer rehabilitation fellowships (from AAPM&R fellowship database). You should contact them and see if you can speak with the current fellows.

Cancer Rehabilitation
Duration: One year
ACGME Accredited: No
Program Description: This fellowship is a one year training opportunity for individuals interested in the rehabilitation of cancer patients. Specific skills are developed in assessment and management of impairments, disabilities and handicaps with such patients. Exposure is provided to various cancer survivorship issues. Trainees undergo additional rotations in palliative care, pain management and psychiatry. In addition, some exposure to complementary and integrative medicine in the cancer setting is also possible. Although emphasis is primarily clinical, research is encouraged. Specific assistance including mentorship and dedicated time can be available for research purposes. Trainees will have significant opportunities in cancer related education at the departmental and institutional levels.

Director Name: Rajesh R. Yadav, MD
Address: 1515 Holcombe, Unit 8
Univ of TX MD Anderson Cancer Center
Section of PM&R
City: Houston
State: TX
Zip Code 77030
Country: USA
Region: South
Phone: (713) 745-2327
Fax: (713) 792-6092
E-Mail Address: [email protected]
Program Website: http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/palliative/

Cancer Rehabilitation
Duration: 1 year
ACGME Accredited: No
Program Description: The Cancer Rehabilitation Fellowship provides one year of advanced training in the diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular and musculoskeletal impairments as well as disabilities related to cancer and/or its treatment. This training prepares fellows to care for the specialized rehabilitation needs of cancer patients and survivors through clinical experience and research.

Director Name: Christian Custodio, MD
Address: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue
City: New York
State: NY
Zip Code 10065
Country: USA
Region: East
Phone: (646) 888-1935
Fax: (646) 888-1910
E-Mail Address: [email protected]

Here is a very popular and comprehensive textbook used in the field and written by physiatrists:
http://www.amazon.com/Cancer-Rehabi...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298920469&sr=8-1

Physiatrists are also eligible to sit for the ACGME accredited Hospice and Palliative Medicine boards after completion of an approved fellowship. More information can be found here: http://www.aahpm.org/

Hope this helps!

 

[ihaveaquestion]

Very comprehensive review by Dr. Fozzy as always. I believe MD Anderson fellowship accepts 2 fellows a year. At the current time MSKCC accepts 1 fellow yearly. At a resident as NYPH, I can tell you that it is one of our favorite rotations. You will see many patients with musculoskeletal complaints secondary to malignancies or their treatments. 2010-2011 marks the first year for the Sloan-Kettering fellowship and it has become very competitive.

Your question about salaries is harder to answer. There are not many physiatrists who specialize in cancer rehabilitation but the need for this is clear (and growing). That said, I imagine your compensation will be highly dependent on the institution you work for.

If you have more questions about cancer rehabilitation or MSKCC feel free to send me a PM. 👍

 

[LIDO]

Thank you all for the excellent information!

 

[Prof Moriarty]

Cancer rehabilitation is actually an up and coming subspecialty in the PM&R world.

Totally agree.

I think the fellowship is competitive at the moment because there are so few positions. I anticipate that we'll see new fellowship programs in this area in the next few years. I do believe it's currently possible to develop this kind of practice w/o a fellowship, if one has had reasonable exposure in residency. The 2 prog's w/ the best exposure currently built-in are Baylor (Houston) and NYPH. There are several other places with a lot of potential. I inquired about this on the interview trail and most PD's said that it would be possible to get some experience during residency and some indicated that it was on their radar to develop w/in their programs.