Idk what the solution is to this “problem” of many rad oncs working until they drop dead. I know of multiple people in my area who plan on doing so. I once asked a rad onc friend about their partner and was told person will be carried out of there. On one hand, good problem as specialty that we have a good lifestyle etc and can work until old age. Some people just dont see a reason to call it quits when they love what they do plus “retirement” for some can be overrated, boring, lonely, etc. Depends how you “retire” i guess. But the issue is that these jobs are also bottled up leaving less room for new grads. With more grads yearly, less jobs are available in these areas. I understand there are many jobs which are not posted supposedly that is the narrative, the fountain of amazing jobs that if you network, hustle enough, you will get. Maybe this was the case or is the case now for some. Maybe or maybe not. Idk. Is the problem that really some dont work hard enough, dont hustle enough? Rad onc has attracted some of the top medical students for the past decade. You want to lecture us on hustle? We are the hustle. Fact is some of the old timers/most would not have sniffed an interview when we were applying. We agonized. I had nightmares of not matching despite statistics telling me it was likely ok. I met some incredibly accomplished applicants on the interview page. Have you ever pubmed someone and had to click “next” to see more entries that dont fit? Some of these people were applicants these years. This year was a very noncompetitive year compared to previous years. Fluke? Due to the unreliable musings of “misanthropes”? We shall see.
I monitor the ASTRO job site at least weekly and what worries me is that i never see enough jobs posted to even give a job (any job) to most graduating residents. This is worrisome. Sure, some people will end up in rural areas “only 2.5 hours from insert city!” (As some postings advertise) but there doesnt appear to even be enough of those jobs? if there are that many highly paid jobs out there that just women, minorites will not take at the moment and everyone wants to be on a coast, why isn’t there so many of these jobs posted? the answer is maybe that a good portion of these jobs are also bottled up. Look at the rohub rural areas thread.
I know of a few people who got good jobs this past year. I find this comforting but still anecdotal and a small number.
