why you entered the field?

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kingsfan

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Congrats RMLD,

Do you mind sharing your reasons for entering the field? Thanks.

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Deal exclusively with cancer patients.
Highly evidence-based field where knowledge of current literature is emphasized.
Very good opportunities for basic/clinical research.
Awesome technology.
Multi-disciplinary oncology.
Team oriented approach with surgeons, med onc, neuro onc, gyn onc, surg path.
Great hours, excellent compensation.
Benign residency.
 
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One of the big things for me is that radonc is outpatient as opposed to medonc which has a lot of inpatient. I like the fact that I (on average) get to spend more time with my patients which opens the door to educate your patient about their disease, which I really enjoy.
 
I wanted a field where I could apply my background in physics, really get to know my patients, do procedures (without spending my whole day standing still in a smelly, cold OR), and still have time for a life outside of work. RadOnc was the only field that really fit the bill!
 
I think that if you want to oncology, it's a good idea to rotate through all fields - surg onc, med-onc, peds-onc, rad-onc.

The positives of rad-onc that really stick out:
- lots of teamwork (physicists, dosimetrists, techs depend on you and you depend on them)
- image based ... i didn't love dx rads, but i do love that i'm getting a good feel of looking at films, from a treatment planning point of view
- we spend probably the most time with our patients during consultation and treatment
- we have to know much about the other fields (i feel, though not sure abpit this, that i will have a better handle on indications for chemo than a surg onc and a better handle of knowledge of specific surgical procedures than a med onc)
- there is multiple facets of our job - the consult, the on treatment visits, the simulations, the treatment planning, follow-ups - that break up the day. You are pretty busy running from one aspect of patient care to the next, and it doesn't get monotonous.
- unlike the plastics surgeons and orthopods, rad-oncs get all women (or men, depending ...) :)

-S
 
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