<p>Has anyone here chosen their field in Oncology?</p>
<p>I would love information on what I should do for undergrad if I want to be an oncologist. I will of course be a premed, but should i take microbiology, molecular biology? I am a high school going to be senior now, so i have time to decide.</p>
<p>Specialty doesn't affect undergraduate decisions.</p>
<p>I would rather get a feel for my career earlier on,</p>
<p>Shadow an oncologist.</p>
<p>You can "get a feel" however you like. Your parents can send you to a future-oncologist's preschool for all it matters.</p>
<p>The point is: future specialty preference does not affect choices for you at this point.</p>
<p>Volunteer at a Children's Hospital. Volunteer at a cancer kid's camp.
See <a href="http://www.acor.org/ped-onc/index.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.acor.org/ped-onc/index.html</a></p>
<p>(And, yes, many future docs do select a career based on very early preferences).</p>
<p>The reason you are getting dismissive responses is that it is essentially impossible to have an informed opinion about your career choice until you have seen much more medicine from the viewpoint of a professional. Shadowing an oncologist will help a very little bit, but until you get through a couple of years of medical school you will not really understand what is going on.</p>
<p>Molecular biology is useful in many fields of medicine, but you can go into any specialty with any college major, so don't worry about it. </p>
<p>In fact, you probably have it backwards. You should major in something that appeals to you and your college experience will help you identify characteristics of a career that you like.</p>
<p>Even if he is sure, it won't affect his college major. It just doesn't affect choices this early on.</p>
<p>Hi Akahmed,</p>
<p>I agree with everyone that you can not decide your major at this juncture but if you are keen to find out more about Oncology (some kids are primarily because of family health issues), I agree with NCG that shadowing an Oncologist is an excellent option.</p>
<p>If you chat with the Head of Volunteering Dept at a local hospital near you and explain your interests, they can tailor your shadowing experience for you in Oncology. Ask if your shadowing can include the following -</p>
<p>1) Shadowing in a Pathology lab - you will learn how different tumor tissues are prepped, evaluated (pharmacogenetically as well as microscopically), and logged into databases.
2) You can shadow an Oncologist - which includes going on rounds with them, sitting in review of case studies with other Oncologists, attending Grand rounds seminars, and learn how they interact with patients and their families.
3) If you ask to add a component of Radiology to your exp, you could learn about some nuclear diagnostic aspects in Oncology as well.</p>
<p>Lastly, there are Intro to Oncology courses that are offered in the Summer by many Universities (Harvard offers one such course in the Summer......think Columbia offers one too). You could take Genetics and Biochem which enhance your understanding of cellular mechanisms. If you are close to a Pharmacy school, you could consider auditing the 'Pharmacology of Anti-cancer Drugs' course.</p>
<p>You don't have to do this all before your College. It could even be something you explore during your undergrad years.</p>