What attracts you to the field?

[unoriginal]

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How did you find rad onc? What attracted you? Just curious as to what drew others to the field.

I am a third contemplating rad onc. I don't have much experience with the field, butI have had an interest in oncology since undergrad and would like a career that was on the cutting edge of technology and dealt with treating cancer.

 

[Gfunk6]

Oh my god, where to begin?

I found it as a matter of course during my research. I'd always been interested in improving cancer therapeutics so when I happened upon radiobiology I became hooked.

What I enjoy about the field?
* Only deal with oncology; defer primary care issues to other MDs
* Extremely high-tech and always advancing; image-guided radiotherapy, robotic-based radiosurgery, advances in planning software
* Some procedures/OR time; intra-operative radiotherapy, various forms of brachytherapy
* Highly evidenced based field and always advacing; you will be required to quote literature to justify many treatment decisions
* Multi-disciplinary; I enjoy working with surgeons, medical oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and others
* Very little in the way of inpatient responsibilities
* Generally work with highly motivated patients
* Benign work hours, no in-house call, few radonc emergencies
* Excellent compensation, including in academics (not the norm in all specialties)
* Residency programs heavily screen for those with a research/academic bent
* Many opportunities for research (clinical, physics, biology)
* Get to learn a good amount of image-based anatomy

 

[unoriginal]

Oh my god, where to begin?

I found it as a matter of course during my research. I'd always been interested in improving cancer therapeutics so when I happened upon radiobiology I became hooked.

What I enjoy about the field?
* Only deal with oncology; defer primary care issues to other MDs
* Extremely high-tech and always advancing; image-guided radiotherapy, robotic-based radiosurgery, advances in planning software
* Some procedures/OR time; intra-operative radiotherapy, various forms of brachytherapy
* Highly evidenced based field and always advacing; you will be required to quote literature to justify many treatment decisions
* Multi-disciplinary; I enjoy working with surgeons, medical oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and others
* Very little in the way of inpatient responsibilities
* Generally work with highly motivated patients
* Benign work hours, no in-house call, few radonc emergencies
* Excellent compensation, including in academics (not the norm in all specialties)
* Residency programs heavily screen for those with a research/academic bent
* Many opportunities for research (clinical, physics, biology)
* Get to learn a good amount of image-based anatomy

sounds exciting, but i am afraid i might be weak in the research area. i am an author on an abstract from a research project that i participated between ms1 and 2, and i had a couple research projects during undergrad (all in oncology). should i try and do some research during 3rd or 4th year? i like research, just didn't feel like i had much time during the first two years of med school.

 

[Gfunk6]

Yes, try to do research and try to make it RadOnc related if you can.

 

[achybrachy]

I struggle with this question every time someone asks me. The easy answer is that my wife had cancer so I feel drawn to treating it. But honestly I think the biggest reason is simply that rad onc is cool. Is that enough? I just think it's fascinating. But when I try to answer that to people I feel like I need more. Most of the reasons Gfunk listed are appealing to me as well, but really that's the big one. I suppose I need to polish my answer up before interviews start.

 

[deleted4401]

I'm totally not making fun of you, achy, but that's exactly the 'number one' reason for me. It is really stinking cool. I don't know how to explain it, so I had to utilize the above answers, as well. So, think of a better answer than that!

-S

 

[unoriginal]

one of my reasons for being interested in oncology is because of a personal experience a family member went through... i first heard about radiaiton oncology back when they had have a piece of tumor around an artery in the brain zapped with gamma knife. i am drawn to the field for other reasons too, but is it totally cliche to mention this experience (i.e. interview or personal statement).

 

[napoleondynamite]

I struggle with this question every time someone asks me. The easy answer is that my wife had cancer so I feel drawn to treating it. But honestly I think the biggest reason is simply that rad onc is cool. Is that enough? I just think it's fascinating. But when I try to answer that to people I feel like I need more. Most of the reasons Gfunk listed are appealing to me as well, but really that's the big one. I suppose I need to polish my answer up before interviews start.

Make sure that you can answer why you're SPECIFICALLY interested in radonc as opposed to medonc. Being interested in cancer is one thing..but many interviewers will press you specifically on what draws you to RADONC.

However, I think your answer of radonc just being "cool" will resonate with certain interviewers (younger ones especially). I remember one interview where the attending asked me the predictable "why radonc?" and my response was "why not?!?! It's the best specialty out there.." and that seemed to satisfy him, as he obviously agreed. I think it's not so much what you say sometimes..but how you say it. Demonstrate your enthusiasm, that's more than just words. But it's also very hard to be enthusiastic after hours and hours of being asked the exact same questions! It's an exhausting process...

 

[stephew]

well do be careful. some younger folk (and even olderO) will be fine with its just cool. but do have a good well thought out follow through on that. no one wants to hire a surf dude to take care of their patients.

 

[Leapfrog80]

I'm considering radiation oncology and wanted to get everyone's perspective. For those members who are happily in the process of becoming radiation oncologists-- what part of the field attracts you the most? Is it the clinics, where you can establish a relationship with your patients? Or is it the planning/treatment portion of the day? Or is it keeping up with the literature? It seems to me that rad oncologists must know a lot of information, starting with tumor staging, to latest studies on treatment of various tumors. How do you keep from becoming overwhelmed with the amount of knowledge you have to retain, especially when the boards are taken? I guess, in other words, what keeps you going?

 

[Gfunk6]

Come on guys, use the search function!

This exact same question was asked ~ 1 month ago.

Link: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=426520

 

[Leapfrog80]

Yes, I remember reading that. I can figure out the myriad of reasons why rad onc would be an attractive choice for many. But for personal curiosity I was wondering more specifically if there was one aspect of the field that was especially alluring, above others, when making the final choice. During my rotation I really enjoyed spending time in clinic w/patients, more so than doing the contouring/planning and all the reading. If there is anyone who preferred the treatment planning, or chose rad onc because they enjoyed this side of the field, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts.

 

[IRISH22]

althought Im someone who hasnt yet matched in radonc I still feel that I can answer your question.

For me it was a decision based on the fact that I loved working with cancer patients (for a variety of reasons). after ruling out things like surg onc (ridiculous hours) and peds onc (too sad for me) the decision was between rad onc and heme onc. For me, the decision essentially came down to the fact that I didnt like working in the hospital during 3rd year. Instead, I really enjoyed clinic time. But from my experinece on a heme/onc rotation, they have plenty of clinic time too and its really the fellows who do most of the work on the wards. The treatment planning aspect is not what really turns me on, but hey, neither is reading chemo protocols and calculating body surface area. I knew I wanted to be an oncologist, it was just determining which kind. I feel that radonc is an exciting field to be in and it gives me an opportunity to focus on oncology, which is my passion in medicine. I guess thats what keeps me going...but I cant address how I will manage to keep my head above water when I have to sit for the physics/radiobiology boards.

 

[stephew]

Come on guys, use the search function!

This exact same question was asked ~ 1 month ago.

Link: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=426520

please use link. thanks.