radonc residency lifestyle

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[Gfunk6]

For me, the lifestyle is awesome. Generally work hours are from 8-5 ~70% of the time though some services you have to stay later or come earlier. On weeks that we are on call we come in early 6:30 am and leave late 5:30 pm. On particularly busy services we also have these extended hours. However, during my years of residency I've probably gone over 60 hours only a few times.

Generally, I like to study about an hour per day usually on mass transit.

I live 40+ miles away from work, am married and have a child so it can definitely be done.

 

[CyberKnife19]

I agree with what GFunk stated above pertaining to hours and lifestyle. On the whole, usually an 8-5 day, but CNS and Head & Neck may (or may not, it just depends on how many on-treats and consults you have at that particular time) keep you at work until 6 or 7 p.m.

Additionally, keep in mind that GFunk is a senior resident and so can probably get away with only studying 1 hour/day. In your first couple years of residency, you will be studying probably 2 hours/day during the week and 4-6 hours/day on the weekend. So, you can roughly estimate a 60-70 hour work week in your first couple of years (~45 hours working + ~ 20 hours studying). That 20 hours/week of non-clinical work includes preparing for didactics, any research projects that you have on the side, etc. However, that is still a great quality of life IMHO.

Best of luck and congrats on choosing the best field in all of medicine.

 

[clintpark]

Perhaps, I was the hardest working resident ever in the history of radiation oncology, but my hours were quite a bit longer.

I would come around 7, see patients until 4 or 5, and do dictations/charts until around 6 to 7 (so, ~ 60 work hours/ week). I would also try to read a couple of hours a day at home, although, I fell asleep often before reaching that mark. If I had a presentation to give or a paper to write, I stayed at work until 10 or later.

Prospective medical students should NOT have an idea that radiation oncology residency is easy (as in you don't have to work hard). In fact, I will argue that rad onc residents read more than almost any other residents I can think of and put almost (if not more) work hours actually working (since we don't get work hour credits for sleeping while on call).

The beauty of radiation oncology lifestyle, however, is that it is very predictable and you can dictate when you work and when you relax. Night and weekend emergencies are very rare, even when you are on call. So, it allows you to plan ahead and spend time with family.

The work hour improves a bit as an attending, but, it's not 9 to 5 rumored out there, at least not during the first year as an attending in a community practice. Typically, for me, it's 7:30 to 5:30 four day a week and occasional half days to catch up.

 

[OTN]

I worked from 7:30 - 5:00. I read during the day and almost never studied at home during the week or on the weekends unless I had a project/talk/boards upcoming.

 

[stlo]

I agree with clintpark. I think the general consensus is that rad onc is "so easy" by other specialties, and I know quite a few junior residents (myself included, a few years back) who had a hard time making the transition from call-based internships to the regular schedule plus massive studying that is expected in our field. God forbid you have a research project on the side or something; that takes even more time.

So, yes, the hours are regular (I usually work 7:30-5 unless on a really busy service/call/unlucky day). But I certainly spend more time studying and doing other projects at home than I ever did in internship. It's a great field, and a reasonable field to have a family in partially thanks to those regular hours, but I would hate for students to get the mistaken idea that it's "easy."

 

[Gfunk6]

Perhaps, I was the hardest working resident ever in the history of radiation oncology . . .

Or I may be the laziest resident ever in the history of radiation oncology.

 

[joewilly]

nearly every morning is filled with an early morning conference (tumor board, grand rounds, didactic, etc.) beginning ~ 7am. Clinics go full tilt from ~8:30-6. Then the catch up of dictations, planning etc. This alone equals a 13+ hour day, without even getting to read. Then, once the research projects start piling up.... I think our specialty is very underrated when it comes to the workload, as already mentioned above (at least as a resident)

 

[Dillatar]

I currently shadow two physicians in the rad onc ward at the local VA hospital. The workload seems to vary greatly from day to day. Some days are slow and others very busy.

 

[medgator]

nearly every morning is filled with an early morning conference (tumor board, grand rounds, didactic, etc.) beginning ~ 7am. Clinics go full tilt from ~8:30-6. Then the catch up of dictations, planning etc. This alone equals a 13+ hour day, without even getting to read. Then, once the research projects start piling up.... I think our specialty is very underrated when it comes to the workload, as already mentioned above (at least as a resident)

I think the depts that start around 7AM are in the minority I do remember a few during the interview trail that started that early for didactics and conferences however.

 

[deleted4401]

Working a 13 hour day sounds ridiculous. What department is that? Sounds very inefficient.

Most days, 7.30 to 5.30.

S

 

[joewilly]

I might use the word busy, instead of inefficient. Understaffed perhaps. Currently residents manage what may be a somewhat extreme caseload (recently ~250-300+ case logs/yr) Would be interested in how this compares with other programs.

 

[medgator]

I might use the word busy, instead of inefficient. Understaffed perhaps. Currently residents manage what may be a somewhat extreme caseload (recently ~250-300+ case logs/yr) Would be interested in how this compares with other programs.

That's over the ACGME limit of 150-250/yr. I'm probably at a rate of ~190-200/yr

 

[bix]

The ACGME limit is 250 external beam cases per year. There is no limit that I could find on brachy, stereotactic, unsealed sources or total limit. I will finish my PGY-2 year with about 240 external beam cases, 25 stereotactic cases, 25 brachy cases, and a few unsealed sources for a total of about 290 cases. Our PGY-3 to 5 years we do get electives so our case load is typically busiest our 1st year. I saw some variability in how busy residents were with my home institution and where I did my away rotation as a med student. Factors that seem to affect this:
1. How many academic days does your attending have (if any)?
2. How many patients are on treatment at any time for a service you are on?
3. How often do you have to lead resident led didactics?

I think most programs are probably similar. Sometimes you are fairly busy and sometimes it's not. Most importantly, you are no longer an intern and you have an awesome job!

 

[Scatter]

I might use the word busy, instead of inefficient. Understaffed perhaps. Currently residents manage what may be a somewhat extreme caseload (recently ~250-300+ case logs/yr) Would be interested in how this compares with other programs.

Ditto. Same story in our department. Typical day 7:30-7pm. Our PGY-5 just graduated with almost 900 cases ...