Oncologists

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of physicians and surgeons is expected to grow by 7 percent, faster than the average for all occupations, through 2028. The continued expansion of health care industries and the Affordable Care Act have increased the number of people who have access to health insurance. The specialty of oncology should see even stronger growth in response to patient demand for access to specialty care, an impending wave of physician retirements (nearly 20 percent of cancer specialists are over the age of 64), a growing and aging population, new research, changing diagnostic techniques, and new treatment possibilities. The American Society of Clinical Oncology predicts that there will be a shortage of nearly 2,200 oncologists by 2025.