3 answers
Noelle
Student
Knoxville, Tennessee
3
Questions
Updated
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what is the track like for oncologist after undergrad?
can you share some insight on what to expect for life after undergrad and where i should look into for schools?
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2 answers
Karin P.
Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Career Coach
1091
Answers
Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Noelle,
It's great that you want to work as an oncologist! An oncologist is a medical doctor, so you'll go to medical school.
You first need to get a bachelors in any field that interests you (4 years) and get a good score on the MCAT, before you can apply to medical school. In med school (4 years), the first 2 years are mostly course work. In year 3 and 4 you'll do clinical rotations and figure out the specialty you want to go into. That's when you need to think about specializations for your residency.
Oncology is a specialty of internal medicine. Most typically you'd do your residency in internal medicine (3 years). This would be followed by a fellowship (2-3 years) in oncology or in a combined hematology-oncology program (3 years). There are also radiation oncology residencies (4 years). Don't worry about it too much before you even get to med school. You'll get all the experiences and the information you need to decide on a path when you are in med school.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
https://www.acponline.org/about-acp/about-internal-medicine/subspecialties-of-internal-medicine/oncology
It's great that you want to work as an oncologist! An oncologist is a medical doctor, so you'll go to medical school.
You first need to get a bachelors in any field that interests you (4 years) and get a good score on the MCAT, before you can apply to medical school. In med school (4 years), the first 2 years are mostly course work. In year 3 and 4 you'll do clinical rotations and figure out the specialty you want to go into. That's when you need to think about specializations for your residency.
Oncology is a specialty of internal medicine. Most typically you'd do your residency in internal medicine (3 years). This would be followed by a fellowship (2-3 years) in oncology or in a combined hematology-oncology program (3 years). There are also radiation oncology residencies (4 years). Don't worry about it too much before you even get to med school. You'll get all the experiences and the information you need to decide on a path when you are in med school.
I hope this helps! All the best to you!
KP
Karin recommends the following next steps:
Courtney Chambers, MD., FACS
General Surgery
27
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
Courtney’s Answer
Please see Karin P's excellent answer above.
It is medical school (4 years), internal medicine (3 years), then oncology fellowship (2 - 4 years).
Study and time management habits go a long way throughout the process.
Good luck Dr. Noelle.
It is medical school (4 years), internal medicine (3 years), then oncology fellowship (2 - 4 years).
Study and time management habits go a long way throughout the process.
Good luck Dr. Noelle.