How to Become a Pediatric Oncologist
Treating children with cancer falls to a very special group of people, trained not just to try and rid the body of disease, but also to treat these very sick children as children and not as miniature adults. Doctors in the field of pediatric oncology must overcome the difficulty of treating a disease which reacts differently in children than adults and also of dealing with young children who may not understand what is happening to them.
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Instructions
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Training to become a specialist
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The field of pediatric oncology is tied to pediatric hematology. Doctors in this field study pediatric hematology-oncology. They treat children and adolescents with blood disorders and all forms of cancer. Many doctors training in this field may eventually choose to study and specialize in one area. Some of them will become stem cell transplantation experts.
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Physicians spend six years training in oncology and hematology after four years of medical school. It begins with a three-year residency in pediatrics caring for very sick children with diseases such as cancer, sickle-cell disease and hemophilia. After this residency, doctors are certified by the American Board of Pediatrics.
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The doctor will spend her pediatric hematology-oncology fellowship at one of an estimated 60 programs throughout the United States. This fellowship will include diagnosing and treating children with cancer, teaching, and clinical or laboratory research. During the first year, the prospective pediatric oncologist will focus on patient care, and in the final two years she will focus primarily on research.
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When this final phase of training ends, the doctor can take an examination from the Subboard of Hematology-Oncology of the American Board of Pediatrics to gain certification as a pediatric hematology-oncology specialist. Many doctors in this field will opt for more research training for another year or more.
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The field of pediatric hematology-oncology changes rapidly so many doctors specializing in this field work on medical school faculties or in hospital oncology departments rather than in private practice.
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Tips & Warnings
Pediatric hematology-oncology is closely related to medical hematology-oncology. Doctors in this field treat adults. Physicians do their residency in internal medicine and focus on oncology and hematologic disorders. There is less focus on direct patient contact.
The leading cause of death for children under 15 is cancer, so working in this field can take an emotional toll on doctors, nurses and the entire medical team.
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Comments
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This is my goal. I will become a Pediatric Oncologist.
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Out of nowhere God put something on my heart tonight... praying about it.
