Medical Oncologist
What the work is
Investigates, diagnoses and treats patients with cancer using chemotherapy and biological therapy.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Assesses patients to determine the possible presence, nature and extent of cancer
- Analyses test results and other medical information to make cancer diagnoses
- Prescribes, administers and understands the pharmacology of antineoplastic drugs, including cytotoxic drugs, hormonal therapies, molecular targeted agents and biological agents
- Prevents and treats complications caused by cancer and its treatment
- Provides supportive management of cancer patients, including symptom palliation and rehabilitation, with particular emphasis on psychological and social support
- Consults with a multidisciplinary team to manage and treat cancer
- Assesses primary, secondary and tertiary preventive measures to prevent cancer development
- Discusses treatment options and prognoses and formulates treatment management plans with patients regarding the role of radiation therapy and chemotherapy in the management of cancer
- Implements palliative and end-of-life care
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in a hospital ward and outpatient clinic where specialist physicians see older adults. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A puzzling set of symptoms suddenly makes sense and the right treatment starts
- An older patient goes home to the place they love, with the right support
- A junior doctor you teach asks a question you had not thought of
Hard days
- Families who disagree with each other, and with the patient, about what should happen next
- Pressure to free up a bed when the person in it is not yet ready to leave
- Conversations about what matters most that nobody is eager to have
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 264338, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.