YourHealthcareTeam:OncologistHello, I’m Dave… welcome to my toy studio.I’ve got one of these, one of those, even this thing.But I'm not here just to play with toys… I’m here to explain something very important.Let’s pretend this is you. And we’ll pretend you’re managing a very difficult diagnosis of cancer.I know, it can be scary, confusing and complex. On top of that, you’ll be dealing with appointment afterappointment. And all that medical stuff that goes with that.There is some good news.Drum roll please. (Drum sounds)You don’t have to do this alone. You have an entire healthcare team whose job is to help you. One of whichis: The Oncologist.What does an oncologist do? An Oncologist is a cancer expert. They’re the best at finding cancer as well astreating it.They’re going to take charge and develop the treatment plan that works best for you to live and recover fromcancer.The important thing to remember is that oncologists work to match the type of cancer with the best pathforward for you. You’re not alone.
Patients are often presented with a variety of treatments, medications and procedures that can be complicated and sometimes difficult to understand, both in terms of the expected result, but also in terms of possible side effects. One of the best ways to overcome this challenge is for patients to ask a lot of questions of their healthcare providers, so they can make the most-informed decisions for their own care. Patients can also play an important role in preventing infections while they are in the hospital.
