Medical Oncologist
Medical oncologists diagnose and treat cancer with medicines such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy, and look after patients through the course of their treatment.
- Median salary*
- $218,400
3.7%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 930
3.3%vs last year
- Projected growth
- +32.8%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Low
- automation risk
- Average hours
- 47/wk
+7h vs all jobs
- Shortage status
- In shortage
national
Medical oncologists are specialist physicians who care for people with cancer, and they work mainly in hospital cancer centres and private oncology practices. They follow patients from diagnosis and staging through to systemic treatment and, often, palliative care, which gives the role its long relationships and its weight. Practising requires registration with AHPRA and fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
How much do medical oncologists earn?
The median full-time salary for a medical oncologist is $218,400 per annum, before tax, up $45,000 since 2018.
Medical oncologists employed in public hospitals are paid under state health department medical officer agreements, which step pay up with years of service and add loadings for on-call and recall. Private practice works differently, because consultations and day chemotherapy are billed rather than salaried, so earnings depend on how many private sessions a specialist runs. Many oncologists combine public hospital work with private sessions, and that mix is usually the biggest single influence on what they take home.
What does a medical oncologist do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Assessing and staging cancers using examination, imaging and pathology results
- Prescribing and supervising chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapies, and adjusting doses as side effects appear
- Managing treatment complications, from nausea and low blood counts to immune-related reactions
- Reviewing patients in clinic between treatment cycles and deciding whether treatment continues
- Coordinating care with surgeons, radiation oncologists and palliative care teams, and discussing prognosis and goals of care with patients and families
What skills do medical oncologists need?
Employers look for patient care and support, clinical assessment and treatment, medication management, backed by Epic fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Patient care and support
- Clinical assessment and treatment
- Medication management
- Care planning and coordination
- Health education and advice
Software and tools
- Epic
- MOSAIQ
- ARIA Oncology Information System
- PACS
- UpToDate
General skills
- Written communication
- Empathy and interpersonal care
- Problem solving
Is the job growing?
About 930 people work as medical oncologists in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 32.8% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a medical oncologist?
Here's the path most medical oncologists take, step by step.
- 1Complete a medical degree
Entry is either a six-year undergraduate medical degree or a graduate degree of about four years following a bachelor's, and both are competitive.
- 2Finish the intern and prevocational hospital years
One intern year plus one or more resident years, with general registration through AHPRA, is the groundwork before applying to physician training.
- 3Complete basic physician training
Three years of adult medicine with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, including the written and clinical examinations, which act as the filter for specialist training.
- 4Undergo advanced training in medical oncology
Three years in accredited hospital oncology posts covering inpatient and outpatient care, ending in fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
- 5Register as a specialist and choose a setting
Vocational registration with AHPRA follows fellowship, and some add a further fellowship year or a research higher degree before settling into public, private or combined practice.
Ready to apply as a medical oncologist?
Whether you're working toward becoming a medical oncologist or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a medical oncologist move to?
We don't list lateral moves for medical oncologists: leaving means a full new qualification rather than a career move, and the realistic routes in are covered under how to become one.
Who works as a medical oncologist?
The typical medical oncologist is 43 years old; 51% are men, 79% work full-time, and full-timers average 47 hours a week.
- 43
- Median age
- 49%
- Female share
- 79%
- Full-time
- +7h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a medical oncologist?
The week is built around clinics, ward rounds, multidisciplinary meetings and the paperwork that gets expensive drugs funded. Oncology runs on relationships as much as on trial data, since patients stay under your care for years through remission and relapse, so the work suits doctors who want continuity with people and can hold a clear view of how a story may end. The pressure sits in that combination: treating intensively while staying honest about what treatment can and cannot do.
What people like
- You follow patients for years. Treatment runs over months and often years, so you learn the families, remember what matters to them, and see people through remission and, sometimes, a return of the disease.
- The evidence keeps changing. Immunotherapy, targeted agents and new trial results arrive steadily, and a real part of the week goes on reading and on the team meeting where the newest data gets applied to the person in front of you.
- The team carries the hard calls. Oncology is genuinely team-based, with surgeons, radiation oncologists, nurses, pharmacists and palliative care staff all weighing in, so difficult decisions are shared rather than made alone.
- Treatment sometimes changes the odds. Some cancers are cured with drug treatment alone, and in others control of the disease buys years of good living, which is what keeps people in the specialty.
What people find hard
- Bad news is built into the work. You will tell people that the disease has progressed, that a treatment has stopped working, or that the focus is now comfort, and often to families you have known for a long time.
- The day stretches past the clinic. Clinic lists run late and the paperwork behind them is real: drug funding approvals, trial documentation, letters to referrers. A full-time week averages about 47 hours once on-call and administration are counted.
- The emotional weight accumulates. Deaths, young patients and distressed families stay with you, and the specialty leans on peer support, debriefing and deliberate time away to keep that manageable.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ medical oncologists?
Health Care and Social Assistance employs the largest share of medical oncologists.
Top employing industries
- 1Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Postgraduate | 49.7% | |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor degree | 47.1% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 0.3% | |
| Certificate III/IV | 0% |
Will AI replace medical oncologists?
AI exposure for medical oncologists is low. The tools already in an oncology department, such as imaging analytics, dose calculation software and trial-matching systems, take over scanning and paperwork, so results arrive faster and administration shrinks rather than the job disappearing. The centre of the work is examining a patient, choosing a regimen, managing a reaction in the day unit and explaining what treatment can do, and none of that transfers to a system.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Running outpatient clinics and adjusting treatmentA single list might hold a patient starting adjuvant therapy, one whose immunotherapy has caused thyroid problems, and one deciding whether to stop, and each needs a decision and a conversation in the same stretch of time.30%low
- Prescribing and supervising chemotherapy and immunotherapyDose calculations, interaction checks and PBS authority paperwork are heavily computerised now, which shortens the admin, while the regimen choice and the response to a reaction in the day unit are made on the spot.25%moderate
- Talking with patients and families about prognosis and goals of careThese conversations depend on reading how much a person wants to know, revisiting the decision when scans change, and bringing palliative care in at the right moment.25%low
- Reviewing scans and pathology at multidisciplinary meetingsSoftware can flag suspicious lesions and track tumour measurements between scans, which speeds up restaging, but whether a patient is responding well enough to continue is a call the meeting makes.20%moderate
Common questions about becoming a medical oncologist
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do medical oncologists earn?
Medical oncologists earn a median of $218,400 per year before tax. Pay moves with seniority under state medical officer agreements and with how much private practice a specialist takes on, since private consultations and day chemotherapy are billed rather than salaried.
How do you become a medical oncologist?
You complete a medical degree, work as an intern and resident, then finish three years of basic physician training with the Royal Australasian College of Physicians before three years of advanced training in medical oncology. Fellowship and specialist registration with AHPRA follow, so the path runs around fourteen years from the start of a medical degree, and selection into advanced training is competitive.
Are medical oncologists in demand?
Medical oncologists are currently in shortage nationally, and employment is projected to grow 32.8% over the decade to 2035. The workforce is small, at about 930 people, so openings usually appear where a specialist hospital post is created or vacated, and training places are the practical bottleneck.
Will AI replace medical oncologists?
Automation reaches this job less than most, because the work is mostly examination, treatment decisions and conversation. Imaging analytics, dose calculation and trial-matching software are already in oncology departments, and they speed up reading scans and drafting paperwork rather than replacing anyone. Deciding on a regimen, managing a patient through immune-related toxicity, and talking through prognosis with a family remain clinical work done in the room.
Where can medical oncologists move in their career?
Most stay in clinical oncology, moving between public hospital posts, private practice and combined sessions, and private practice is often where earnings grow. General physicians move in because their broad internal medicine training overlaps closely with oncology and requalifying builds on it. Resident medical officers also move in, using hospital experience and basic physician training as the foundation for specialist oncology training.
What is the difference between a medical oncologist and a radiation oncologist?
Medical oncologists treat cancer with drugs, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy and targeted therapy, while radiation oncologists use radiotherapy. Many patients see both, and the two specialties meet in the same multidisciplinary team meetings. The training bodies differ, with radiation oncology run through the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists and medical oncology through the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
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