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The Road Not Taken and Choices in Radiation Oncology
- Source :
- The Oncologist
- Publication Year :
- 2010
- Publisher :
- Oxford University Press (OUP), 2010.
-
Abstract
- The authors look back at the five decades of radiation oncology and consider how one's choices and decisions influence how a career is pursued and how a professional life is lived.<br />Accomplishments and contributions in a career in radiation oncology, and in medicine in general, involve individual choices that impact the direction of a specialty, decisions in patient care, consequences of treatment outcome, and personal satisfaction. Issues in radiation oncology include: the development and implementation of new radiation treatment technology; the use of multimodality and biologically based therapies; the role of nonradiation “energy” technologies, often by other medical specialties, including the need for quality assurance in treatment and data reporting; and the type of evidence, including appropriate study design, analysis, and rigorous long-term follow-up, that is sought before widespread implementation of a new treatment. Personal choices must weigh: the pressure from institutions—practices, departments, universities, and hospitals; the need to serve society and the underserved; the balance between individual reward and a greater mission; and the critical role of personal values and integrity, often requiring difficult and “life-defining” decisions. The impact that each of us makes in a career is perhaps more a result of character than of the specific details enumerated on one's curriculum vitae. The individual tapestry weaved by choosing the more or less traveled paths during a career results in many pathways that would be called success; however, the one path for which there is no good alternative is that of living and acting with integrity.
- Subjects :
- Cancer Research
medicine.medical_specialty
Energy (esotericism)
Specialty
Medical ethics
History, 21st Century
Multimodality
Neoplasms
Medical technology
medicine
Humans
Data reporting
Curriculum
Career Choice
business.industry
Health technology
History, 20th Century
Public relations
Personalized medicine
Oncology
Family medicine
Radiation Oncology
business
New Translational Research in Radiation Oncology: A Tribute to Eli Glatstein
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 1549490X and 10837159
- Volume :
- 15
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- The Oncologist
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....bbb135ba8372fb2752f026297c85cef9