Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a team of health care professionals to treat a cancer patient. Cancer treatment is a complex process that affects patients like no other illness and requires care by a varied group of oncology specialists, including doctors, surgeons, nurses, radiation therapists, and social workers.
For people interested in a health care career, oncology offers unique challenges and rewards. "You have an opportunity to build relationships with patients and impact someone's life," explains Jean Jackson, vice president of workforce planning at Baystate Health in Springfield, which offers comprehensive cancer care.
There are always new diagnostic tests and treatments that can help save lives and provide constant opportunities to learn and grow. "It's a golden age of cancer treatment with new individualized therapies," says Dr. Wilson Mertens, medical director of the Baystate Regional Cancer Program. "A regular part of the job is to continually learn new procedures and technologies."
Radiation plays an important role in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Many cancers, including breast and lung, are detected by radiographs such as mammograms and computed technology (CT) scans. Trained radiation technologists administer these tests, and there is always a need for more workers in this field.
Radiation treatment is delivered by radiation therapists, who educate patients about the treatment process and follow their progress. They work closely with medical physicists who define the radiation dose needed to treat the cancerous tissue without affecting healthy tissue. Once the dosage is determined, a dosimetrist designs a schedule for the patient and attends radiation sessions to ensure it is properly implemented.
Chemotherapy can be a stressful experience for patients, who must spend hours hooked to an IV. Often massage therapists are available to help patients relax and relieve the physical discomfort of sitting. Nausea and loss of appetite are common chemotherapy symptoms that can be helped with nutritional guidance from a dietician who understands the unique needs of cancer patients. For even the most resilient person, having a life-threatening illness takes an emotional toll. Social workers provide support and counseling and sometimes accompany patients to medical appointments.
They are integral members of the patient's cancer treatment team who usually have backgrounds in medical social work before working exclusively with cancer patients. With the population aging and new treatments boosting recovery rates and helping patients live longer, the demand is high for skilled oncology clinicians. "The labor pool of experienced individuals is limited," says Jackson. "There are plenty of opportunities with good growth potential and compensation."
Radiology-related positions are hard to fill, especially dosimetrists and medical physicists. These positions are well-compensated, especially in the medical hub of Massachusetts, where salaries are among the highest in the nation. Experienced dosimetrists and medical physicists can earn six-figure salaries. Dosimetry programs are one year long and open to people who are trained in radiation therapy or have a bachelor's degrees in science. Medical physicists have a master's degree or doctorate in physics.
The median salary for radiographic technologists is $61,000 and radiation therapists, $76,000 and can easily reach the $80s and $90s. It doesn't take years of education and training to earn these salaries. Work as a radiation therapist requires an associate's degree from an accredited training program.
Median salaries are $55,000 for social workers, $51,000 for dieticians, and $33,000 for medical assistants. Social workers must earn a master's degree, while dieticians usually earn a BS in science and nutrition. Medical assistants will advance well with an associate's degree.
Beyond compensation, cancer care is a fulfilling career for people who thrive in a busy, fast-paced environment where multitasking is critical. Working with cancer patients also "requires a tremendous amount of compassion and stability. It's hard to see good, hardworking people struck down in the prime of their lives," says Cathy Rousseau, interim director of cancer services at Baystate. It's not surprising that some people enter the profession after a personal experience with the illness of a loved one.
For the right person, "it's a tremendous honor to participate in a patient's care when they are most anxious and desperate. The satisfaction is great, even if we don't always get the ultimate clinical outcome that we would like," says Dr. Mertens.
