Radiation Oncology
Curative and palliative radiation therapy for cancer.
Radiation oncologists prescribe and supervise radiation therapy, working closely with medical oncology, surgical oncology, and pathology. Clinic-heavy work with longitudinal cancer patient relationships. Highly technical: contouring, dosimetry, treatment planning. Among the smallest specialties by trainee count.
Lifestyle & practice
Hours 45 to 55, predictable, minimal call. Compensation $400k to $550k. Job market has been tight for several years with consolidation pressures and APM payment changes.
Common fellowship paths
- Residency length
- 5 years (1 prelim + 4)
- Median comp
- $450k to $550k
- Job market
- Tight; compete carefully on geography
High-signal external links curated for residents and applicants.
- ASTRO ↗
American Society for Radiation Oncology, premier specialty society.
- Red Journal (IJROBP) ↗
Top specialty journal.
- Radiation Oncology forum (SDN) ↗
Long-running medical career forum with active specialty subforums.
Positions
203
All applicants
201
Seats / app
1.01
From NRMP Charting Outcomes 2024 (most recent biennial publication). Source PDFs: MD Seniors / DO Seniors / IMG. NRMP publishes Charting Outcomes every other year, so this should refresh in early 2026 with the 2025 cycle data.
| Pool | Step 1 | Step 2 | Pubs | Research | AOA % | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD_seniors | 238 | 252 | 15.9 | 4.2 | 15.5 | 103 |
| DO_seniors | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| US_IMG | 244 | 246 | 24.2 | 3.3 | — | 0 |
| Non_US_IMG | 222 | 223 | 11.8 | 3.8 | — | 0 |
Per-applicant-type match rates and mean Step scores published by NRMP every two years. Each row is one applicant pool in one cycle. Step scores reflect what matched applicants in that cycle achieved, not what programs require today.
| Year | Type | Match rate | Matched (n) | Step 1 | Step 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | MD_Senior | 97.2% | 103 | — | 252 |
| 2024 | IMG | 58.6% | 17 | — | 246 |
| 2022 | MD_Senior | 97.6% | 81 | 240 | 249 |
| 2022 | IMG | 60.0% | 12 | 228 | 240 |
| 2020 | MD_Senior | 99.1% | 112 | 243 | 250 |
| 2018 | MD_Senior | 93.8% | 165 | 247 | 253 |
| Pool | Share |
|---|---|
| MD_seniors | 71.4% |
| DO_seniors | 7.9% |
| US_IMG | 4.3% |
| Non_US_IMG | 16.4% |