K E N DA L L P H E L P S - P O L I R E R

RESEARCH ON ONCOLOGY

In eighth grade I visited my friend Robin in the hospital. She had developed brain cancer and I had not seen her in a long time. The brain tumor had caused her to undergo many seizures that left her slow and affected how she spoke. After seeing Robin that day, I realized that medicine was the path I wanted to pursue. I realized that I could help people like Robin, who passed away shortly after our visit. This loss inspired me to be part of the fight against cancer.

The summer after my sophomore year in high school, I participated in the Duke TIP program for oncology. I met top oncologists in every field, all fighting to find a cure to save people like Robin. After that exposure, I knew the pre-medical curriculum would be what I would follow in my four years at Clemson. Since being at Clemson, I have stayed true to my dream of being a doctor. I have demonstrated a passion for science through my involvement this summer doing breast cancer research at MUSC.

The work in the lab provided me with experience in the field of science, but it is the interpersonal interaction between the doctor and his or her patients that has drawn me to the medical field. I want to be able to interact face-to-face with patients to give them support and the things they need to help them overcome their illness, all the while being trained and able to come up with a successful treatment regimen to be put in place to keep them alive. Being an oncologist is my career goal, but I am indecisive on which type of oncologist I want to be. A medical oncologist gets to be with the patient every step of the way from diagnosis to treatment, while a surgical oncologist puts their skills to work in the operating room and performs the excision of tumors.

In 2016, there will be an estimated 1,685,210 new cancer cases diagnosed and 595,690 cancer deaths in the United States (Cancer.Org). Cancer will continue to take lives and I want to be involved in the war to help stop it.

SURGICAL ONCOLOGY- HISTORY• Cancer is possibly the oldest disease ever found in a human

specimen. In 1990, an autopsy of a mummy belonging to the Chiribaya Tribe in Peru revealed a thousand-year-old malignant tumor (Mukherjee, 43).

• 1809 was the year Ephraim McDowell successfully performed the first tumor removal, advancing how physicians treated cancer (Millar).

• Antisepsis and anesthesia were technological breakthroughs that allowed the advancement of surgical practices to occur from 1850-1950 (Mukherjee, 58).

• Surgical oncology is a specialty that focuses on the treatment of cancer through surgical techniques.

• In addition to performing surgery, surgical oncologists are trained in cancer diagnosis, prevention, rehabilitation and may even conduct cancer research.

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS• A career in surgical oncology requires several years of education

and training. • Graduating from a 4-year Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Doctor of

Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) follows earning a Bachelor’s Degree. • Next, medical school graduates must pass a state licensing exam

in order to practice medicine. • After gaining a license, a 5-year general surgery residency must

be completed. General surgery residents complete clinical rotations, gain experience in many different fields of surgery and conduct scientific or clinical research.

• A fellowship in surgical oncology is the final step to becoming a surgical oncologist. Completion takes 2 years, and fellows go through clinical rotations and gain experience by performing surgery on different cancers.

Sources: “Become a Surgical Oncologist: Step-by-Step Career Guide." Study.com

SALARY & GROWTH POTENTIAL• The 2016 salary range of a surgical oncologist is between

$109,197 and $410,325. Geography is the biggest factor affecting income, followed by education duration. The average salary is around $243,000 per year (PayScale).

• The projected growth potential for a surgical oncologist is must faster than average, increasing 20% from 2012-2024 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). This high job outlook is due to cancer being a health issue that largely affects the aging baby boomer generation. The risk for cancer increases with age.

O*NET PROFILER• I believe I would be a good surgical oncologist because I am

investigative and social. • As a surgical oncologist, the main goal is to remove a tumor and

enough of the surrounding healthy tissue to ensure that recurrence does not happen. Thus, excising a tumor takes careful preplanning using diagnostic and staging studies. This goes hand-in-hand with my investigative interests, and I would enjoy being able to figure out problems and use logic to formulate the best surgical approach.

• At the end of my mice study at MUSC, the mice were sacrificed and I had to excise the tumors by performing a necropsy. This gave me a small-scale look into what being a surgical oncologist would be like. I was very precise and successful while performing these mice autopsies and experienced handling surgical tools.

• I am patient, logical, calm in alarming situations and organized, which are all qualities I believe a successful surgeon should have.

• As for social skills, I am president of St. Jude Up ‘til Dawn and I have experience in leading a team of people, which is important for a surgical oncologist to do while in the operating room. I am a good communicator and would be able to describe preoperative and postoperative treatments and procedures clearly and accurately to the patient.

MEDICAL ONCOLOGY- HISTORY• At the time of Hippocrates in 400 B.C., the first word for cancer appeared in medical literature- karkinos, the Greek word for crab. This was used to describe tumors because of their finger-like projections, similar to a crab in the sand with its legs spread in a circle (Mukherjee, 43).

• Cancer treatments have evolved since World War II, when it was first discovered that chemicals could treat cancers. The U.S. Army was searching for effective chemical agents for war when they found that nitrogen mustard was capable of killing rapidly growing cancer cells by damaging their DNA. This nitrogen mustard was successful in treating cancer of the lymph nodes, or lymphoma (Cancer.Org).

• Sidney Farber, the father of modern chemotherapy, accidently discovered a powerful anti-cancer chemical in a compound related to the vitamin folic acid and successfully treated children with acute leukemia. That drug was the predecessor of methotrexate, a chemotherapy agent commonly used today (Cancer.Org).

• The role of a medical oncologist is to prescribe various types of treatment, such as chemotherapy, medications and hormones.

• Typical job duties include making cancer diagnoses, keeping records of patients' test results and physical examinations, writing prescriptions, providing specific cancer information to patients, monitoring treatment plans and improving patients' quality of life. Medical oncologists explain cancer development stages to patients, discuss treatment options and assist in pain management. They care for patients throughout the entire course of cancer treatment, from diagnosis to recovery or death (Study).

EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS• A career in medical oncology requires nine years of medial

education and training. • Graduating from a 4-year Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or

Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) follows earning a Bachelor’s Degree.

• Next, a medical oncologist must spend 36 months as an internal medicine resident.

• After completing that residency and passing the American Board of Internal Medicine certification exams, a two-year fellowship in medical oncology must be completed.

• After passing the American Board of Internal Medicine medical oncology exam, the medical oncologist is now board certified in the specialty.

Source: DeMerceau

SALARY & JOB GROWTH

• Mean Annual Salary for medical oncologists is $217,856. The highest-paid ten percent earned $400,526, and the lowest-paid ten percent earned $101,388 (PayScale).

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment for medical oncologists will grow 18% over the 2012-2022 decade. This faster-than-average job outlook is due to a growing aging population that demands more physicians, especially medical oncologists (BLS).

O*NET PROFILER• Medical oncologists coordinate a course of

treatment for cancer patients with the rest of their oncology team. The leadership skills that I possess would allow me to head a treatment plan, and my social and collaborative skills would allow me to coordinate the regime with the rest of the team.

• As a medical oncologist, patient interaction is of utmost importance. With my high score for social interests, medical oncology would be a good fit for me. I would be able to work with patients to help them learn about the disease they are affected by and also teach them what lifestyle changes need to be made. I would be able to discuss the different courses of action and explain cancer development stages.

O*NET PROFILER• My O*Net Profile shows I have enterprising skills which are

important in this field because I would need to lead and persuade people into executing the best treatment plan.

• My investigative skills are extremely important because as new medical breakthroughs occur every day, I would need to constantly research and keep up to date and apply any new information to help assist in choosing the best solution for my patients.

• Over the summer I shadowed a medical oncologist and really enjoyed how connected the patient and doctor are. I feel that I would be a good medical oncologist because I am personable and like making relationships with people. I would be able to remember a patient and their preferences so that when they come in for treatment or checkups they would feel most comfortable.

• My experience with record keeping shows I would be successful in keeping up with patients’ records and monitoring treatment plans.

RELEVANT ACADEMICS• Anatomy & Physiology showed me the processes of major organ systems and taught

me to recognize the structural and functional importance of the human body. This is relevant to medical oncology because when prescribing medications, it is important to know how the medicines interact with the body and what organs they may put stress on. This class is extremely important to surgical oncologists because I learned not only anatomical terms, but also all the body’s major and minor veins and arteries.

• Biochemistry provided me with an in-depth look into how our genome is created. Cancer is built into our genomes and becomes propagated as we extend our lifespan, thus a deeper understanding of how malignant growth and normal growth are genetically intertwined is important in the future of curing cancer.

• Health 2020 & 2030 taught me about the health care delivery system and how to make it more efficient. I believe this is important to learn when going into a health profession. It is also crucial to understand the future of medicine and how different policies will affect doctors.

• During my sophomore year, I participated in a Lab Research Creative Inquiry where I learned the basics on how to handle a living cell. This gave me an understanding on the cell cycle, a crucial concept to master due to all cancers being related at the cellular level by uncontrollable pathological cell division.

MEDICAL SCHOOL PROGRAMSName of Medical School

Mean GPA Mean MCAT Tuition Cost (per yr.)

Medical University of South Carolina

3.72 30 $35,662

University of South Carolina- School of Medicine Greenville

3.7-3.75 28-29 $40,194

University of South Carolina School of Medicine

3.63 28.7 $39,114

My GPA My Mean MCAT

3.7 Not yet taken

My choice of Medical Schools are MUSC, USC-Greenville, and USC. I am in the process of studying for the MCAT and plan to take it in April, so I do not have that score to compare. With my GPA being a 3.7, I would be a good candidate for each of these schools as that is the average GPA of an accepted student. I also have taken 2 semesters of general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics, all recommended/required prerequisites for these three schools. In addition to GPA and MCAT scores, I have participated in numerous community service projects and have demonstrated leadership as the position of President in Clemson’s St. Jude Up ‘til Dawn philanthropic organization. I am a member of the Calhoun Honors College and will have completed my general and departmental honors by the end of this semester. I have completed lab research at Clemson and MUSC, and I am currently in the process of getting published. I believe that these achievements prove that I am a strong candidate for all three of these medical schools.

CONCLUSIONI am drawn to the medical profession because it intertwines both science and humanism. Throughout my undergraduate career, I have immersed myself in the world of science through classes and research. I love learning about new scientific breakthroughs and the mechanism of action for everything in the body. I believe this love of science has made me interested in becoming a doctor, but what has really solidified my decision is the building of patient relationships. I choose wanting to be a doctor, over all other possible career paths that help people, because I want to give cancer patients the gift of longevity so they can see their children grow up and get married, or so that they can grow up themselves and experience life and happiness. I believe that life and the experience that you gain through living it is the greatest gift you can give someone. This has led me to pursue the field of oncology. Both medical and surgical oncologists endure medical school, residency and fellowships and must have important knowledge, skills, and abilities in order to succeed. I believe that I have both the talent and the drive necessary to become either a medical or surgical oncologist. With cancer being the second leading cause of death, the time is now to join the fight.

WORKS CITED• "Become a Surgical Oncologist: Step-by-Step Career Guide." Study. Study, n.d. Web. 18

Jan. 2016.• "Cancer Facts & Figures 2016." Cancer Facts & Figures 2016. Cancer.Org, n.d. Web. 19

Jan. 2016.• DeMerceau, John. "How Many Years of Training to Become an Oncologist?" Everyday

Life. GlobalPost, n.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2016.• "Medical Oncologist: Job Description, Salary and Career Outlook." Study. Study.com, n.d.

Web. 18 Jan. 2016.• Millar, Lara, M.D. "Surgical Oncology: The Basics." Surgical Oncology: The Basics.

OncoLink, 8 Dec. 2014. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.• Mukherjee, Siddhartha. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. New York:

Scribner, 2010. Print.• “Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition, Physicians and Surgeons.” U.S.

Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17 Dec. 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

• "Physician / Doctor, Oncologist Salary (United States) United States Home Change Country Don't See What You Are Looking For?Get A Free Custom Salary Report »." Physician / Doctor, Oncologist Salary. PayScale, 12 Jan. 2016. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.

• “The History Of Cancer”. Cancer.Org, n.d. Web. 19 Jan 2016.