Inspiring Medical Students to Pursue Oncology Amid Workforce Shortages
As the US faces a growing shortage of oncologists, the American Society of Clinical Oncology has efforts to attract medical students to the field.
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As the United States faces a growing shortage of oncologists,1,2 the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has efforts to attract medical students to the field through mentorship, research opportunities, and early exposure to cancer care. Many of the initiatives emphasize the importance of engaging students early in their medical training.
“Many students enter medical school wanting to work with cancer patients, often because of a personal experience with a loved one’s diagnosis,” Julia Close, MD, MBA, FASCO, executive vice president and chief education officer at ASCO, said during an interview with Targeted Oncology™. “Our goal is to nurture that interest and show them the breadth of opportunities in oncology,” continued Close.
Early Exposure and Mentorship
ASCO’s initiatives include free membership for medical students, the development of oncology interest groups at universities worldwide, and resources for students to attend the organization’s annual meeting. For example, since 2015, ASCO’s Oncology Student Interest Group program has grown from 30 groups to 120 across 13 countries, offering networking, mentorship, and career development.
This is an organized group of medical students and residents who share a common interest in the field of oncology and meet regularly to learn more about cancer, patient care, and pursuing a career in oncology. ASCO’s goals are to connect interest groups from across the globe and to provide resources to physicians in training who are interested in oncology.
Through specialized sessions available both live and in a virtual format, situational mentoring, and the online medical student community, MyConnection, ASCO provides a number of initiatives at the early onset of a student’s career path.
Mentorship is another key component. “Students sometimes see only the difficult side of oncology—patients in the hospital struggling with advanced disease,” Close said. “But in clinics, they see long-term relationships and patients living full lives. Mentors can help them understand the full scope of the specialty.”
Addressing Burnout and Systemic Challenges
Burnout remains a concern, from both an emotional and from an administrative perspective. Although oncologists often treat patients nearing the end of their lives, it can bring a lot of meaning to that relationship, but it can have challenges, Close said.
“I think when the emotional impact of caring for patients gets to be too great, it’s important to recognize that burden when interacting with our peers,” Close said. “Being able to check in with a peer if they’ve had a difficult day in clinic, it’s great having colleagues who can provide that support. Historically, oncologists were told to put up a barrier between yourself and your patients. Now, we recognize it is human nature to care deeply about other people. We strive to balance the impact of these relationships with patients with our own mental health so we can remain empathic,” Close said.
Efforts to help oncologists navigate administrative burdens such as prior authorizations, insurance approvals, and documentation are also important to fend off the dangers of burnout. Close emphasized the importance of teaching trainees efficiency early on, including leveraging AI for documentation, while also advocating for systemic changes.
“One of the things that is important during earlier parts of training is to establish good habits in terms of documentation completion. These things can weigh you down, so if you get into the habit of completing your notes from clinic by the end of the day, you don’t have the weight of doing all these tasks when you get home,” Close said.
Close touched on identifying ways that AI can help physicians to be more efficient. In the clinic, AI is helping with administrative tasks and in general, “Early career physicians often have innovative ideas to streamline workflows,” she said. “We need to listen to them.”
Expanding Opportunities Beyond Medical Oncology
ASCO also encourages students to explore diverse oncology paths, including radiation and surgical oncology. “Not every student should become a medical oncologist—there are many ways to make an impact,” Close said.
With workforce shortages looming, ASCO’s efforts aim to ensure a robust pipeline of future oncologists—physicians who are not only skilled but also resilient and inspired by the profound relationships at the heart of cancer care.
“[The shortage] isn't something that oncologists can fix on their own, and we really need to provide support in clinics and through training in research in all areas that allow physicians to work more to the top of their degree, have some autonomy in what they do, and really provide support so that we continue to have meaningful relationships with our patients,” Close concluded.
