A Career In Pediatric Oncology

Pediatric Oncology is at the heart of many organizations. There are many financial and emotional burdens associated with a loved one having cancer, and thanks to these foundations parents and children can sleep a little bit better at night knowing that someone has their back. Some of the more prominent groups that have an impact here in our community are: Alliance for Childhood Cancer, Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, CURE Childhood Cancer, and National Cancer Institute (Mccaul). These are organizations that make an impact in the lives of the children battling cancer and their families. Whether an organization has been started in memory of a loved one or to support a college or hospital, organizations like those listed above have

the best interests of the community in mind.
As with any medical career you will spend a good portion of your years after high school in college; whether it is obtaining your degree, advancing in your chosen specialty, or attending annual training there will always be something else you will need to learn. In order to become a Pediatric Oncologists you start down the same road as any doctor. First you will being your Pre-Med classes and a Science course of your choosing, like Chemistry or Biology. Next it will be time to take your Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), this is the test that Medical Schools will look at when reviewing your admissions request, and therefore, a good score is necessary (source).
Once you are accepted into Medical school you will spend four years earning your MD, or Doctor of Medicine. After completing medical school you will complete a residency program approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education at a chosen college. Last but not least you have to become certified in Pediatrics before finishing the final step in your journey, becoming certified in Pediatric Oncology (source).
Durant High School offers many programs to help prepare students for life after high school.

Among these programs are Speech and Debate, Business Professionals of America, Health Occupation Students of America, and all Advanced Placement classes will help prepare you for a career in the medical field. In order to work in a health care field you must be outgoing, able to work alongside others, and maintain a certain level of professionalism which all of the classes promote. “Doctors who display superior communication and leadership qualities advance to supervisory or managerial positions in hospitals and health networks. Those who start their own practices take on entrepreneurial roles and employ staff according to their needs. Some doctors join medical schools as faculty, and can gradually move into administrative roles” (Careers). By taking vigorious classes throughout your high school career you can be better prepared to achieve supervisory or managerial

positions.
“The Stanford School of Medicine's Division of Oncology and Department of Radiation Oncology provide education and training opportunities for medical students and current physicians.

Students can pursue a joint M.D. /Ph.D. in Cancer Biology or enroll in a research fellowship or residency program. These can include a 3-year clinical research fellowship in oncology or a 4-year residency program in radiation oncology.” (Stanford). You will first complete the required medical program and then begin on your residency and during that time you will begin to specialize in Pediatric Oncology.
The Council of Pediatric Specialties gives a look into what an average work week looks like for Pediatric Oncologists. “The majority of pediatric Hematologist/Oncologists work more than 40 hours per week and hence those considering this career should be prepared for hard work both during training and beyond” (CoPS). The hours worked will, of course, depend on the number of patients a doctor needs to see in a day and the amount of home calls a certain physician gets for patient

emergencies.
As with any doctor, Pediatric Oncologists work closely with families. However, unlike a normal family doctor, an Oncologist will become a major part of a family's life. They will be personally seeing to care instead of relying on nursing staff. Oncologists make a difference in their patients and in the lives of those around them. Working in a field where you get to see children every day may seem like it is all rainbows and butterflies, but it has a few major limiting factors. Not only do you get to see children every day, you see them at their worst. As a Pediatric Oncologist, death will become your worst enemy. “It is reliably estimated that on average the United States loses as many as 400 physicians to suicide each year (the equivalent of at least one entire medical school)” Due to the nature of the career Pediatric Oncologists have the highest suicide rate among any profession (Emedicine).
As a Pediatric Oncologists, you are being entrusted with the care of someone’s child. “The rewards far outweigh the stresses and strains of the job,” O’Hanlon Curry explained. “I think that a lot people believe that working with kids who have cancer and other blood disorders is depressing--but it isn’t.” (NurseZone).Children teach some of the best lessons and you will be one of the ones to learn them first hand. “Kids are really resilient,” she continued. “They don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves and to lie around and feel sick. Most of the kids do great. The kids want to play and bring you into it and there is a lot of smiling and joking and laughing that goes along with this career.” (NurseZone).
When you pursue any career there will be an impact on your family life; whether it is traveling, taking time out to grade your student’s papers, or in this case see patients. As stated before, Pediatric oncologists can sometimes work up to 62 hours in a week. These work hours are beneficial to the patients, but not necessarily to the doctor. Students are aware of the vigor of pursuing Oncology before they even begin studying.
While Pediatric Oncology may be an extremely challenging field, the pay rate is quite rewarding. “The average inexperienced employee pulls down a cushy six-figure sum; the median salary for people claiming fewer than five years of experience is $227K. The average pay reported by folks with 10 to 20 years of experience is around $274K. In the end, the overall pattern seems to be that more experience generally corresponds to higher pay; an Oncologist with more than 20 years of experience can earn $397K on average” (PayScale). With Pediatric Oncologists making six figures, people become attracted to the field for the wrong reasons. Money is a good incentive, but without passion and dedication for the career itself, you will not get the most out of the career.
As you can see there is many elements involved in becoming a Pediatric Oncologist. Oncologists work in very stressful environments, and in this particular specialty will be dealing with chicken diagnosed with cancer. While this may seem like a very heart wrenching occupations, Pediatric Oncologists do their job to help children and their families. In addition to this stressful job, Pediatric Oncologists can afford to take a major vacation to decompress. All in all, I feel like this is a career I could definitely see myself pursuing. All of my research just made me realise how needed Oncologist are and that they are some of the most hard working and dedicated people. I strive to make a difference and leave an impact on the lives around me, and by becoming a Pediatric Oncologist I am sure to do that.