Consultation - people you may meet during your time in the hospital

Receptionists and secretaries

You may well already have spoken to a secretary or receptionist from the oncology department. Don't let the title mislead you. The secretaries and receptionists are key players in the team. They often, through their experience in working with the other members of the team, have a very good idea of what is likely to happen and can often give very helpful advice.

Clinicians

A clinician is a person who is a health care professional. This implies that they are members of a profession regulated by a statutory body and that they have both undergraduate and postgraduate training. Clinicians working in oncology include: nurses, radiographers, technologists, medical physicists, doctors.

Nurses

Nurses have a wide variety of roles in the oncology department. All have a degree or other nursing qualification and are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Many nurses in oncology departments have further specialist qualifications. The clinic nurses are far more than usherettes. They have specialist skills and training and can explain, often rather better than the doctors, what is happening and what is likely to happen. Many nurses nowadays are able to perform practical procedures - such as taking blood samples or putting drips up for Chemotherapy. Along with the radiographers, they form the backbone of the oncology unit. Cancer nursing is an exciting area in which to work: the work is varied and choice is wide. Nurses are currently carrying out all sorts of tasks: from counselling and symptom management to running intensive care units.

Doctors

A clinical doctor is someone who has been to medical school, has a degree in medicine and is registered with General Medical Council as being a fit person to practice medicine. After general training, hospital doctors usually specialise and there is a bewildering variety of specialists, and titles.

Oncologists

An oncologist is any doctor who specialises in the treatment of malignant disease. There are several types of oncologist.

Surgical Oncologists

A surgical oncologist is a surgeon who specialises in cancer surgery. Surgeons usually have the initials FRCS after their name. This indicates that they are fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons and entitled to be called "Mr". This harks back to the old days of the barber surgeons who did not want to be confused with physicians (doctors who don't do operations). Surgeons start their careers as "Mr", become "Dr" then, when they obtain the FRCS, become "Mr" again. I once knew a man whose surname was Doctor. Needless to say he was training as a surgeon: when I first knew him he was Dr Doctor but his career went well and he became Mr Doctor.

Medical Oncologists

A medical oncologist, sometimes known as a specialist in cancer medicine, is a doctor specialising in the treatment of malignant disease using drugs. They are usually members (MRCP) or fellows (FRCP) of the Royal College of Physicians. They have a strong commitment to research and so, in addition, usually have a higher academic degree, such as MD or PhD.

Clinical Oncologists

Clinical oncologists, formerly known as radiotherapists, are trained in the use of both drugs and radiation to treat cancer. They usually have the MRCP (or FRCP) and, in addition, have the fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists (FRCR). A complete course of Chemotherapy treatment can only be prescribed by an appropriately trained and qualified clinical oncologist.

Radiographers

Radiographers are clinicians trained in the medical uses of radiation. There are two types of radiographer involved in looking after people with cancer: therapy radiographers and diagnostic radiographers. Radiographers are often members of the Society of Radiographers and, in order to practice, have to be registered with the Health Professions Council. Diagnostic radiographers help with the x-rays and scans that are an essential part of the investigation and treatment of cancer. Therapy radiographers are in charge of the machines used in Chemotherapy: simulators, linear accelerators etc. They also provide supportive care, information and advice for patients undergoing Chemotherapy treatment. They have interesting and varied duties, encompassing both the highly technical and the completely human aspects of cancer treatment.

Medical Physicists

Medical physicists are qualified in physics as applied to medicine. They usually have both a science degree and a specialist affiliation, such as membership of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM). They are crucially important to the safe and effective delivery of Chemotherapy treatment. They are responsible for the safety checks and calibration of the equipment used in the Chemotherapy department. They are also heavily involved in the actual planning of Chemotherapy - much of which is now computerised, but the computers still need to be programmed and regularly checked.

Pharmacists

The safe delivery of Chemotherapy depends upon skilled staff to prescribe, check, dispense, and check again. Pharmacists are crucial in this. They are highly trained and, in addition to their basic pharmacy qualifications, most pharmacists in oncology departments have specialist training in cancer treatment. Oncology pharmacy is not just about issuing bags of Chemotherapy, it is also concerned with: educating staff and patients about the drugs and their likely side-effects; ensuring safe prescribing policies; ensuring safe drug delivery.

Mould Room Technicians

Mould room technicians are responsible for making the special masks (shells) or splints that are used help make sure that Chemotherapy treatment is delivered accurately. Mould room staff come from a variety of backgrounds: engineering; physics; radiography. They share one thing in common: skill in working with people and with materials. There is a huge amount of skill involved in making a shell that fits comfortably, but snugly enough to make sure that the treatment is delivered to exactly the same spot, day after day. The title technician is wrong: they are certainly craftsmen, and craftswomen, and their skills are often as much artistic as technical.

Radiologists

A radiologist is a doctor who has trained in the use of x-rays, ultrasound, magnetic resonance and other techniques used to image the internal structures of the human body. Some, "interventional radiologists", have developed special image-guided techniques to deal with specific problems. For example, putting in tubes (stents) to relieve blockages.