Pediatric Hematology Day 2024 is on Sunday, September 8, 2024: So I would Like To Be a Pediatric Oncologist. :)?

Sunday, September 8, 2024 is Pediatric Hematology Day 2024. Fun in the Sun for Pediatric Patients Some of the SBUMC pediatric

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To become a pediatric oncologist, you will need quite a bit of schooling. Your mom is right. You'll need your undergrad (you can major in any number of things, from pre-med to almost anything else.) That's four years. Then you've got four years of medical school, followed by three years of residency in pediatrics. During this time, you'll be working as a doctor, but still learning, getting the hands on experience. You'll rotate through different areas of pediatrics, including oncology. After that, you'll need to do a fellowship in pediatric oncology (more hands on experience.) Then you'll be able to work as a pediatric oncologist.

Right now, you should be focusing on getting good grades and keeping a high GPA. The courses you take now won't really impact you later, though a strong life sciences background is good (bio, anatomy, etc.)

As far as what pediatric oncologists do on a daily basis... they diagnose and treat childhood cancer. Almost all pediatric oncologists are also pediatric hematologists and also diagnose and treat blood disorders in children. These specialties almost always go together.

A ped onc will work in a hospital setting, both in an inpatient area (where kids stay overnight) and the outpatient ped hem/onc clinic. This is where kids come for just the day. They might come for an hour appointment to have a check up or blood work, or they might come for six hours in one day for tests, chemo, or transfusions.

In my hospital, the ped hem/oncs rotate. One covers clinic, one covers inpatient, one covers on-call, etc. for a week, and then they switch. In clinic, the hem/onc will see the kids who come in and give them physical exams, write chemo orders, order tests, etc. The hem/oncs do all the bone marrow aspirations and lumbar punctures in clinic, and then order other tests. They meet with parents, talk to kids, explain things, etc. They chart, write letters to pediatricians and other specialists to update progress, deal with insurance companies, have very difficult conversations with parents and even children, celebrate the good things (the little things like losing a tooth or the big things like finishing treatment) and cry over the bad. They meet with other physicians, participate in studies and research, and so much more. On the inpatient unit, they see all the kids each day (several times a day), reassure parents, explain diagnoses and treatment, write orders for tests and medications, teach residents, and more.

Sometimes it's a sad job, and sometimes it's not. MOST children with cancer survive. Not all do. There are hard days, and a child dying is absolutely horrific. There are no words that can adequately describe that. But even amidst that, there are so many kids who get better. Nobody in this field ever forgets the kids who don't get better, but it's helpful to also remember all the kids who do. Life in a pediatric hematology/oncology center is not all tears and sadness. There's a lot of laughter, a lot of jokes, a lot of play.

It's not a field for everyone, and some people do burn out quickly. But for some people, it's the right fit.

pediatric hematologist/oncologist?

A hematologist diagnoses and treats various blood disorders such as the various anemias including sickle cell disease and other hereditary and non-hereditary anemias. A pediatric oncologist treats children with cancer. When successful, the job is extremely rewarding. When not, it is very sad and depressing.

Many pediatric heme/oncs are involved with children who have had bone marrow transplants. The care is very time-consuming and labor intensive for the doctors and the nurses.

I'm not sure there is a typical day, but I suppose they make rounds on hospitalized patients in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, then go to the out-patient clinic to see referrals and other patients. Periodically they are on-call for emergencies day and night. In a large department, some of them have rotations where they spend time in a research laboratory.

From my view it's one of the more demanding pediatric specialties. Since my retirement, hematology and oncology have become separate departments at the children's hospital where I was affiliated.

Can anyone give me information about pediatric oncology?

What are you interested in within pediatric oncology? A typical pediatric oncology clinic (which is usually combined with hematology) will include doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, child life specialists, and more.

I work in pediatric oncology. Our day begins with a meeting to go over all the patients- the ones who are coming to clinic, and the ones who are currently in the hospital. The doctors and nurse practitioners then see the patients and do exams and write chemo orders. They also do bone marrow aspirations and lumbar punctures. The nurses administer the chemotherapy. As a child life specialist, I provide psychosocial support, educating children about their diseases, providing distraction during procedures, teaching coping skills, etc. The social workers provide counseling for the families and work on insurance issues and the like.