A radiation oncologist uses ionizing radiation to treat certain cancers. If you’ve decided or been advised to pursue this course of treatment, then you have to decide on a physician and cancer hospital New York City patients recommend and trust. Let’s look at factors that can help you narrow down your choice.
How Experienced is Your Radiation Oncologist?
Ask your radiation oncologist whether they’re board certified and how many years they have practiced in this specialty area. It’s also important to know what new technical advances they have experienced and become familiar with in the past several years. Once you get a sense of how up-to-date they are with new techniques and relevant research, you will feel more confident in trusting them with your treatment.
An experienced oncologist is more likely to show true interest in learning more about you and including you in the decision-making process. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to them, you may want to reconsider using them as your specialist.
A Mix of Humility and Confidence
This is a very difficult time in your life. Your doctor should be assertive but if they don’t have any bedside manner, they’re going to make a hard process even harder. Pay attention to how they talk to you about your treatment options, prognosis, side efforts and the risks and benefits of your radiation therapy.
Meet the Team
Radiation oncology should be a collaboration between your specialist and other health care professionals. Your treatments will involve a radiation oncology nurse to help you deal with the side effects, if any. A radiation therapist prepares you for your daily treatments. A medical physicist uses sophisticated computers to aid your doctor is designing the technical components of your treatment.
Check Out the Facility
After you choose a doctor, ask for a tour of the facility to become familiar with where you’ll go for your treatments and to evaluate whether it lives up to your expectations in terms of the equipment used. Make sure everything seems clean and sterile enough to trust your health to during your treatment.
Location
Choosing a hospital in the city helps you continue with the activities of daily living as much as possible during your treatment. Distance can be a constraint for loved one wishing to help you with logistics during your radiation treatments.
Becoming familiar with your doctor and cancer hospital in New York City will make you feel much more at ease when the day of your first appointment comes around. It could give you an edge and help you feel more confident about the whole procedure.
