Topic Proposal: Oncology

Since I was a young child, I have always had a particular interest in going into the
medical field. That is why this year for ISM, I have chosen to focus my study on the topic of
Oncology.
My interest in the field of medicine began in middle school after I watched doctors on
television in documentaries, and from that point on I wanted to become a doctor in the future. At
that point in my life, I was not exactly sure which field of medicine I was interested in going into.
I began to do a small amount of research in my downtime and picked up in interest in the fields
of Anesthesiology, Cardiology, Neurology, and Oncology. I found myself bouncing back and
forth between the multiple fields I was interested in, but upon entrance into high school after
completing Medical Terminology, Health Science I, Pre-AP Biology, and Pre-AP Chemistry I
decided firmly upon going into Oncology. Each of these science-related courses further
developed my love for the field of science and reaffirmed my interest in becoming a doctor.
Pre-AP Biology and Pre-AP Chemistry helped me to see that science is something that I would
enjoy doing for the rest of my life as I particularly enjoyed those classes the most out of all the
core classes I took my freshman and sophomore years of high school. Medical Terminology,
which I took my freshman year, helped me to see that the field of medicine was for me as I
discovered through this course more about what it takes to be a healthcare provider in terms of
understanding the terminology that is often used. Health Science I in particular, which I took my
sophomore year, reaffirmed that Oncology was the field out of all the ones I had been debating
about pursuing since middle school is the I want to go into as it allowed me to be able to do an
in-depth comparison of all of the fields of medicine I was interested in and see that Oncology is
in fact for me. I chose Oncology because of this course because I was interested in trying to
make an impact in this field by helping to further advance current treatment techniques we use
for cancer and tumors.
As an ISFJ-T my personality fits well with the profession I wish to undertake because as
a defender I possess excellent analytical abilities, which will be necessary as I must in the future
deeply analyze patient data and study and conduct research into progression in the field of
Oncology. Additionally, working in the medical field is not uncommon for defenders as our
quality of having exceptional ability in remembering information well is cherished. Along with
having a compatible personality type, being an Oncologist fits me as the qualities that define me
as a person coincide well with the profession. My skill to recall information quickly under
stressful situations is a necessity as an Oncologist I will often find myself in the position of
making quick medical decisions to save a patient's life. I also am a flexible person in terms of
being able to work any hours requested of me. This skill is necessary as an Oncologist because
my hours can be relatively irregular as they are based upon the needs of my patients. Along
with flexibility, I additionally have the quality of being a hard worker. Working to your best ability
all of the time is a requirement of an Oncologist as your patient’s lives often depend on you
having an excellent work ethic to do everything possible to save their lives. The last trait I
possess is tenacity. Often, being an Oncologist will put you in a situation where you will feel like
giving up as things do not go your way and it seems like all hope is lost, but it is important to
show tenacity and keep going in order to save the lives of your patients because they would not
want you to just simply give up on them when the situation becomes difficult.