Oncologists and Death

Oncologists face a disease in which many of their patients die and the treatments are often futile. The attributes that make a good oncologist are not known, but they often include empathy and compassion. However, there are no accepted definitions of these abstract terms. Therefore, they are difficult to measure and difficult to teach. Many oncologists suffer from burnout, another abstract and even less well-defined term, but overall oncologists have high satisfaction with their careers.