Radiotherapy or Radiation Oncology
We all get MD/ DNB - Radiotherapy as a formal certification. Instead would like it to change to "Radiation Oncology " or you are all happy with being called Radiotherapist ?
Radiotherapy or Radiation Oncology
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» Training and Career / Training
» Radiotherapy or Radiation Oncology
Summary:
What do you like
I am very happy as Radiation Oncology connotes that radiation can only be used for oncological treatment. Which we expressly know is NOT the case. Radiotherapy actually gives an apt description of what we actually do use radiation for treatment .. oncological / nononcological disorders both
I trained as a doctor to manage cancer problems, therefore I am an ONCOLOGIST.
I prefer to use radiation as the main means of treating patients, therefore I am a RADIATION oncologist.
If I am to be defined by my therapy (and so be the ONLY medical group defined by their therapy) then I should be joined by the CHEMOTHERAPISTS, IMMUNOTHERAPISTS, HORMONE THERAPISTS and the SURGITHERAPISTS!
If radiation for non-cancer conditions poses a problem then I am happy to be a RADIATION PHYSICIAN as well as a radiation oncologist!
Both Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology have their flipflops as is being discussed… how about M.D. in Radiation Medicine?
after the race for the MD/MS entrance most in India will be glad just to be called MD i guess he he … :-)
Thanks for your replies, if you post your resume no some of the job search engines as Radiotherapist then you will get flurry of emails about "Radiation Therapist" positions across the globe, its quite common for a patient to pose a question saying "are you a doctor" or a "technologists" since they are told by our fellow oncologist to go and meet "Radiotherapist" . This is not a major problem in west however in developing nations Radiation Oncologist are still considered as therapists.
i think radiation oncology.. is the best one among the two. as we are dealing with the oncology part of radiation. moreover what i think it should be more precise to be clinical oncology as we are the one who also give chemotherapy these days and take care of all the needs of an cancer patients… except the surgical part.
My personal bias is for Radiation Oncologist. I feel you cannot focus in both Radiation and Chemotherapy at same time. However I do understand many times we may have to be in two different roles.
Nikhilesh
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