A new study from Mount Sinai's Department of Radiation Oncology reveals that most new radiation oncologists—doctors who treat cancer with radiation—are choosing to work in large metropolitan areas rather than in rural communities. The study, which appears in the latest edition of International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics , suggests this trend could make it harder for people living in less populated areas to get the cancer care they need.
Kunal Sindhu, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai led the research team. They analyzed job locations of recent residency graduates from 2015 to 2022. The team discovered that only 4.3 percent of new radiation oncologists accepted their first jobs in rural counties, and most of those were in areas close to cities.
"Cancer affects people everywhere, not just in big cities," said Dr. Sindhu. "We need to make sure that patients in rural areas can get high-quality care without having to travel long distances."
The researchers also found that new doctors were more likely to work in counties that had:
- Higher populations
- Greater household income
- More hospitals and health care services
- More primary care physicians per person
These results suggest that new doctors prefer to start their careers in communities that already have strong health care systems and resources.
