Radiation Oncology

Contact through any of the faculty or our residency program director.

Recommended Courses

AI/Acting Internship
AI in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics Combined Hospitalist Service (MPED 401 2); AI in Inpatient Medicine and Inpatient Pediatrics (MPED 495 2); AI in Neurology, UNC Hospitals (NEUR 412 2); Acting Internship in Neurosurgery (NEUR 425 2); AI in Gynecologic Oncology(OBGN 412 2); AI in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery(OTOL 450 2); AI in Abdominal Transplant Surgery (SURY 410 2); AI in Gastrointestinal Surgery (SURY 411 2); AI in Neurological Surgery at UNC (SURY 430 2); AI in Surgical Oncology (SURY 481 2); AI in Hepatobiliary and Surgical Oncology (SURY 486 2)

CC/Critical Care
Critical Care Medicine (MEDI 454 4); Neurocritical Care, UNC (NEUR 408 4); Neurocritical Care (NEUR 451 4); Pediatric ICU, UNC Hospitals (PEDS 419 4); Critical Care Surgery, UNC (SURY 422 4)

ACS/Advanced Clinical Selective
ACS – Pain Management (ANES 409 3); ACS-Interdisciplinary Geriatric Care in a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) (FMME 473 3); Geriatrics in Family Medicine (FMME 489 3); Palliative Care (MEDI 464 3); Geriatric Oncology Student Elective, Chapel Hill (MEDI 510 3); Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, UNC (OTOL 451 3); General Radiology (RADY 401 3); ACS – Vascular Interventional Radiology (VIR) (RADY 410 3); ACS – Breast Imaging (RADY 413 3); Radiation Oncology (RADY 414 3); Body Imaging, UNC Campus (RADY 417 3); ACS – Basic Clinical Urology (SURY 471 3); ACS – Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (SURY 485 3); General Urology (SURY 492 3)

Electives
Geriatric Medicine, UNC (MEDI 537); Adult Neurology Elective (NEUR 404); Otolaryngology – Head/Neck Surgery, UNC (OTOL 401); Pediatric – Hematology/Oncology (PEDS 408); Neuroradiology (RADY 404); General Thoracic Surgery, UNC (SURY 459)

Most rotations should be in radiation oncology or a related field, such as with medical oncology, palliative care.  Away rotations should probably be within the field.

Yes, within Radiation Oncology.  This is particularly important if you are applying into an area of the country outside of our region.

This would be very helpful to ensure you have a truly immersive experience within radiation oncology.

Early and as often as you need.  Everyone has different questions but the most important thing is to start by asking yourself what you do not know about the field.

At least three from people who know you well. They do not all have to be from within the field but you should have at least one or two strong letters from within the field. Well-known faculty, including the department chair, are very helpful. Radiation oncology is a small field and chances are good that the people reviewing your application will know your letter writers to some degree and often will have a personal connection to them.

Yes, keeping programs informed will help you and let the programs know you are interested in them.

Request letters of recommendation towards the conclusion of your rotation, once you have established a strong working relationship with the writer. This timing allows the recommender to confirm they can provide a strong reference and ensures they remember you when the time comes for ERAS. If the individual agrees to provide a reference, it is a good practice to close the loop via email thanking them for the rotation experience and offering to write a letter. When you later prepare your ERAS application, you can reply to that message to refresh their memory.

While you cannot dictate a letter’s content, it is helpful to provide your CV and highlight the experiences and activities most important to your professional development.

Aim for at least three letters from individuals who know you well. At least two strong letters should be from within Radiation Oncology. A detailed, enthusiastic letter from someone familiar with your work is more valuable than one from a well-known faculty member who only knew you briefly. Radiation oncology is a small field, and reviewers will often be familiar with your letter writers.

Aim to apply to at least 15 programs. How you determine where to apply is very applicant specific in terms of whether you have geographic preferences or setting preferences. Speak with an advisor to understand the type of reputation that each program has to ensure that you will derive sufficient training to be well positioned when you apply for jobs. Past that, make a list of what is important to you (geography, setting example urban vs not, exposure to certain procedures or subspeciality training) and make a list accordingly.

This is an appropriate time to reach out and express your interest. If you reach out requesting an interview and are granted one – you should be prepared to accept the invitation.

You can reach out and express your interest. Be prepared for the likely scenario that the letter will not change their decision making. If you reach out requesting an interview and are granted one – you should be prepared to accept the invitation.

No. To help reduce the stress of post interview communication and gamesmanship, Radiation Oncology programs have shifted toward minimizing or avoiding post interview communication.

No. To help reduce the stress of post interview communication and gamesmanship, Radiation Oncology programs have shifted toward minimizing or avoiding post interview communication.

You can engage with programs after the interview, especially if they initiate the outreach. Note, that you are not under any obligation to share your rank list or how you ranked the program that is reaching out.

Competitive applicants will have demonstrated empathy, initiative, and ability to work on a patient care team. Dedicated commitment to in Radiation Oncology should be demonstrated through rotations and extracurricular activities such as research. Competitive applicants will have strong letters of recommendation that support their residency in Radiation Oncology. Applicants should have High Pass or Honors grades in Radiation Oncology rotations and a track record of academic achievement in other rotations.