Career and Professional Development for Young Oncologists

Young oncologists around the globe face many challenges when it comes to their career and professional development. Aspects such as time management, work-life balance, career progression, and educational opportunities are only some of them. Professional societies have identified these challenges in this professional group and have designed programs to tackle them specifically. The importance of this strategy cannot be overstated, as young oncologists, defined by most societies as oncologists under 40 years of age, compose almost 50% of the oncology workforce. On the other hand, recent surveys have shown that many young oncologists are considering alternative career paths due to burnout issues aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, on top of all other challenges. The virtual setting that has been forcedly introduced into our professional life has shortened distances between professionals and might have contributed to more accessible access to information and opportunities that some young oncologists could not profit from due to their traveling constraints. On the other hand, this virtual setting has shown us the asymmetries in opportunities for these professionals. Knowledgeable of all this, we summarize in this article some of the career and professional development offer available to all young oncologists, which we consider could help them deal with current and future challenges.

Automated summary

Young oncologists worldwide face various challenges in their career and professional development, including time management, work-life balance, career progression, and educational opportunities. Professional societies have recognized these challenges and have designed specific programs to address them. The importance of this strategy cannot be overstated, as young oncologists make up almost 50% of the oncology workforce. However, recent surveys indicate that many young oncologists are considering alternative career paths due to burnout exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges.