Rad-Oncs background

[RexKD]

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Can some of you rad-oncs please describe your background (undergraduate majors, med school focus, research during med. school, etc.)?

Radiation-oncology is easily the most mysterious of the medical specialties because of the relatively few programs and also because of its very narrow area of focus.

 

[RadOncFever]

Can some of you rad-oncs please describe your background (undergraduate majors, med school focus, research during med. school, etc.)?

Radiation-oncology is easily the most mysterious of the medical specialties because of the relatively few programs and also because of its very narrow area of focus.

Undergrad: Biology and Biochemistry
Masters: Biochemistry
MD/PhD: Neuroscience/Neuropharmacology research

What is so mysterious about rad onc except that most med schools don't spend time talking about the field? So is urology too narrow, or ophthalmology too narrow?

I am a molecular biologist by training, but I don't find radiation oncology any more mysterious than, say, internal medicine. It is just a proven way to treat cancer that people either underestimate or don't understand much about. The potential for research in the field is tremendous, and as a radiation oncologist you deal with such a variety of cancers if you choose to be a generalist that makes it challenging and fun.

 

[stephew]

Can some of you rad-oncs please describe your background (undergraduate majors, med school focus, research during med. school, etc.)?

Radiation-oncology is easily the most mysterious of the medical specialties because of the relatively few programs and also because of its very narrow area of focus.

Major- English/psychology
Med school focus: no such thing; just graduating
reasearch- prior to med school at Mt Sinai in NYC in breast cancer (carried on some in med school)

Its mysterious to many yes as there is no (no pub intended) exposure in med school.

 

[Tanner]

Undergrad major: Biochemistry
Med school focus: agree with steph- just graduating, but if you meant what were my initial interests: surg onc
Research: laser surgery (ENT related)- lots of toys (just like Rad onc!)

how did I find out about rad onc: very serendipitously- I bumped (literally) into a Rad Onc attending during my research year and learned about it from her. This field definitely was under the radar- maybe not anymore as I have been approached by undergraduates who are interested in this specialty.

 

[bence]

1) undergrad: plant biotechnology (every plant cell has totipotency and can differentiate into a entire plant, analagous to the potential of a stem cell. plants get tumors from infectious causes only. apoptosis in plants --> why leaves fall. here is where i became interested in oncology.)
2) after undergrad: 4 years doing research on a couple of signal transduction pathways in breast cancer.
3) med school: sole purpose was to become an academic oncologist. continued pre-medical school projects. random conversation with a med-onc fellow directed me toward the basement where the radiation oncologists dwell. 😀 elective experiences nailed it for me.

 

[stephew]

very interestings story bence.

 

[radonc]

Undergrad: Biology
MS: Clinical Investigation
MD: general degree with thesis in GKSRS

I played pickup bball and met some radonc residents while I was a third year med student and heard about the field through them!

 

[DrBowtie]

Do you think it would be advantageous to have a degree in physics?

 

[stephew]

Do you think it would be advantageous to have a degree in physics?

it makes you attractive in the field to an extent.

 

[G'ville Nole]

Undergrad: Started as music composition, dropped out to play in a rock band for 10 years, returned for biochem degree.

Med school: I came in wanting to do infectious diseases.

ResearchL: Did some research with recombinant protein expression in bacteria, discovered rad onc during my heme-onc rotation and subsequently did some clinical outcomes research.

Just an additional note-- For those reading as undergrads/med school applicants, I highly recommend a stint in a bar band for all those with the inclination to do so. Lots of fun, and 90% of your med school interview will be fielding questions about it, because something like 70-80% of doctors (in my own experience, no RCT evidence to support this) are frustrated musicians. Rock on!

 

[Testudo]

I couldn't agree with you more! I played in a bar band in med school and at at least half of my interviews I got asked "What kinda guitar do you play!?" In fact, at one interview they told me one of the attendings brings in lunch and cake every year for Frank Zappa's birthday!

Rock on! 👍

 

[Tanner]

I think having an interesting background is advantageous during the interview (don't know how advantageous it is helping you get an interview, though). I worked as a bartender for a year before med school and I think about 1/3 of the interviewers asked me martini/mixed drink questions.

don't know if they were frustrated bar patrons, but I think they welcome people with unorthodox backgrounds.

 

[IndyXRT]

Undergrad: Biology/Chemistry
Med school: I found that I was interested in oncology, and radiation oncology in particular seemed a very attractive field
No impressive research (small project in undergrad one summer, smaller, as yet unfinished project in med school)

Rad Onc has never been a very mysterious field to me, because I've always known about it. My mother was a radiation therapy technician (back in the late 60's and early 70's) and spoke favorably of the field. Naturally, when my interest turned to oncology in general, I explored radiation oncology.

 

[stephew]

Just an additional note-- For those reading as undergrads/med school applicants, I highly recommend a stint in a bar band for all those with the inclination to do so. Lots of fun, and 90% of your med school interview will be fielding questions about it, because something like 70-80% of doctors (in my own experience, no RCT evidence to support this) are frustrated musicians. Rock on!

this is very true; a LOT of docs are musicians. I play and DJ'd for a logn time.