Free oncologist job description templates across six subspecialties, with credentialing, board certification, and compliance guidance. Download as DOCX.
6 free templates across medical, radiation, surgical, pediatric, hematologist, and gynecologic oncology, with the subspecialty disambiguation and credentialing guidance the template farms skip. Download as DOCX.
An oncologist job description is harder than it looks, for two reasons the generic templates ignore. First, oncologist is an umbrella over several subspecialties, medical, radiation, surgical, pediatric, hematologist, and gynecologic oncology, that have different training, different boards, and different daily work. Second, the role is governed by credentialing: a state license, board status, DEA registration, NPI, payer enrollment, and hospital privileges all have to be verified before the physician can see a patient or the practice can bill. Name the subspecialty and plan the credentialing, and the posting describes a real hire; skip them, like the template farms do, and you describe half the job.
At FirstHR, we build templates that name the parts the generic ones skip. For an oncologist that means clear subspecialty disambiguation plus the credentialing checklist, written for the practices that make this hire. The six below cover the main subspecialties, with the credentialing guidance built in. The guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
Oncologist is an umbrella over subspecialties, medical, radiation, surgical, pediatric, hematologist, and gynecologic oncology, each with different training and a different board (ABIM, ABR, ABS, ABP, ABOG). The role is governed by credentialing: state license, board status, DEA, NPI, CAQH, malpractice, privileges, and payer enrollment, which gate the start date. Physicians are FLSA exempt. The BLS has no separate oncologist code; physicians and surgeons had a median wage at or above $239,200 (May 2024). Download as DOCX.
What an Oncologist Does
An oncologist diagnoses and treats cancer, leading patient care from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up. The work spans diagnosis and treatment, patient care and communication, multidisciplinary coordination, and quality and compliance, with the specific clinical focus depending on the subspecialty.
The federal data has no separate code for oncologists; they are folded into the broad physicians and surgeons category. What changes by subspecialty is the core method: systemic therapy for a medical oncologist, radiation for a radiation oncologist, surgery for a surgical oncologist, and so on.
Oncology Subspecialties
The single most useful thing this job description can do is name the subspecialty, because oncologist is an umbrella over several roles with different training and boards that attract different candidates.
Medical Oncologist
Systemic therapy
Treats cancer with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted, and hormonal therapy. Often the patient's primary cancer physician across the treatment journey.
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation therapy
Plans and oversees radiation treatment with the physics and dosimetry team. In the UK this role is called a clinical oncologist, a common point of confusion.
Surgical Oncologist
Cancer surgery
Performs surgery to diagnose, stage, and remove cancer, working alongside medical and radiation oncology across the treatment plan.
Hematologist-Oncologist
Blood and cancer
Treats both blood disorders and cancer, the most common oncology subspecialty and frequent in community practice where one physician covers both.
Name the Subspecialty Before You Write
Systemic therapy: Medical Oncologist. Radiation: Radiation Oncologist (called clinical oncologist in the UK). Surgery: Surgical Oncologist. Children: Pediatric Oncologist. Blood and cancer: Hematologist-Oncologist, the most common. Reproductive cancers: Gynecologic Oncologist. Each maps to a different board, so naming the subspecialty reaches the right candidates.
Oncologist Duties and Responsibilities
An oncologist's duties cluster into diagnosis and treatment, patient care, multidisciplinary coordination, and quality and compliance. The clinical method shifts by subspecialty, but these areas hold across the family.
Diagnosis and treatment
Diagnose and stage cancer
Develop and manage treatment plans
Deliver or oversee therapy
Patient care
Lead care across the treatment journey
Communicate with patients and families
Manage follow-up and survivorship
Coordination
Coordinate the multidisciplinary team
Participate in tumor boards
Work with surgery, radiation, pathology
Quality and compliance
Maintain documentation and metrics
Follow quality and safety standards
Support clinical trials and research
A medical oncologist leans toward systemic therapy and longitudinal care; a surgical oncologist toward operative management. For a structured way to scope the role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by subspecialty. The cancer-care core runs through all six, but the training, the board, the procedures, and the privileging differ enough that the matched version reads credibly and reaches the right candidates. Use this guide to choose.
Medical Oncologist
Systemic therapy
The systemic-treatment role: chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, with internal medicine residency and an oncology fellowship.
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation planning
For radiation treatment planning and delivery with the physics and dosimetry team, with a radiation oncology residency and ABR board status.
Surgical Oncologist
Cancer surgery
For surgical management of cancer, with a general surgery residency, surgical oncology fellowship, and OR privileges.
Pediatric Oncologist
Childhood cancer
For cancer and blood disorders in children, with a pediatrics residency, pediatric hem/onc fellowship, and family-centered care.
Hematologist-Oncologist
Most common subspecialty
For both blood disorders and cancer, the largest oncology group, common in community practice where one physician covers both.
Gynecologic Oncologist
Reproductive cancers
For cancers of the female reproductive system, combining surgery and systemic therapy, with an OB/GYN residency and gyn-onc fellowship.
Match the Template to the Hire
Systemic-therapy role: Medical Oncologist. Radiation planning: Radiation Oncologist. Cancer surgery: Surgical Oncologist. Childhood cancer: Pediatric Oncologist. Both blood and cancer: Hematologist-Oncologist. Reproductive cancers: Gynecologic Oncologist. Whichever you pick, name the correct board and plan the credentialing timeline.
6 Free Oncologist Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: practice overview, position summary, key responsibilities, qualifications and credentials, credentialing notes, and how to apply. Fill in the brackets, set the practice and reporting line, and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
Medical, radiation, surgical, pediatric, hematologist, and gynecologic oncologist. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Medical Oncologist
The systemic-treatment role: chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, with internal medicine residency and an oncology fellowship.
Medical Oncologist Job Description
MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST JOB DESCRIPTION
Practice/Organization: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Medical Director / Practice Owner / Department Chair]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 [or per contract]
FLSA status: Exempt (learned professional; physicians are exempt)
Compensation: $______ per year [+ benefits, incentive, call pay]
ABOUT [PRACTICE NAME]
[Practice Name] is a [community oncology practice / cancer center /
multispecialty group] in [City, State]. We are hiring a Medical Oncologist
to diagnose and treat cancer patients using systemic therapy and to help
lead our oncology program.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Medical Oncologist diagnoses cancer and manages treatment with
chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormonal therapy. You
will lead patient care across the cancer journey, coordinate with the
multidisciplinary team, and support clinical quality and outcomes.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Diagnose cancer and stage disease
•Develop and manage systemic treatment plans
•Administer and oversee chemotherapy and infusion
•Lead patient care across the treatment journey
•Coordinate with surgery, radiation, and pathology
•Participate in tumor boards and case review
•Maintain documentation and quality metrics
•Support clinical trials and survivorship care
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS
•MD or DO degree
•Completed internal medicine residency
•Completed medical oncology (or hem/onc) fellowship
•Board certified or board eligible (ABIM, oncology)
•Active, unrestricted state medical license
•DEA registration; NPI; CAQH profile
•Hospital privileges (where applicable)
•Malpractice coverage (per practice policy)
CREDENTIALING AND COMPLIANCE NOTES (read before posting)
This role requires verified credentials before the start date: state
medical license, DEA registration, NPI, board status, malpractice coverage,
payer enrollment (Medicare/PECOS and commercial), and hospital privileges.
Build credentialing time into the hiring timeline. This is general
information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Practice Name] is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable accommodations
are available for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ per year [+ benefits]
To apply, email __ with your CV and references.
Template 2: Radiation Oncologist
For radiation treatment planning and delivery with the physics and dosimetry team, with a radiation oncology residency and ABR board status.
Radiation Oncologist Job Description
RADIATION ONCOLOGIST JOB DESCRIPTION
Practice/Organization: __ ([City, State])
Reports to: [Medical Director / Department Chair]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 [or per contract]
FLSA status: Exempt (learned professional)
Compensation: $______ per year [+ benefits]
ABOUT THIS ROLE
A radiation oncologist treats cancer using radiation therapy, planning and
overseeing treatment with the physics and dosimetry team. The role centers
on radiation treatment planning, delivery, and follow-up.
POSITION SUMMARY
[Practice Name] is hiring a Radiation Oncologist to plan and deliver
radiation treatment for cancer patients. You will design treatment plans,
oversee delivery with the radiation team, and coordinate care across the
oncology program.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Evaluate patients for radiation therapy
•Design and prescribe radiation treatment plans
•Oversee delivery with physics and dosimetry
•Monitor patients through treatment and follow-up
•Coordinate with medical and surgical oncology
•Participate in tumor boards and case review
•Maintain documentation and quality and safety
•Support clinical trials where applicable
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND CREDENTIALS
•MD or DO degree
•Completed radiation oncology residency
•Board certified or board eligible (ABR, radiation oncology)
•Active, unrestricted state medical license
•DEA registration; NPI; CAQH profile
•Hospital and facility privileges (where applicable)
•Malpractice coverage (per practice policy)
CREDENTIALING AND COMPLIANCE NOTES
Verify credentials before the start date: state license, DEA, NPI, board
status, malpractice, payer enrollment, and facility privileges, plus any
radiation-equipment authorizations. Build credentialing time into the
timeline. This is general information, not legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $______ per year [+ benefits]
To apply, email __ with your CV and references.
Still Using Spreadsheets for Onboarding?
Automate documents, training assignments, task management, and track onboarding progress in real time.
This is the part the template farms skip entirely, and for an oncologist it is the part that actually governs the hire, because credentialing and payer enrollment determine when the physician can see patients and when the practice can bill. Four areas shape the timeline.
State medical license and board status
The physician must hold an active, unrestricted medical license in your state, and the posting should state whether you require board certification or accept board-eligible candidates. Board certification runs through the relevant board for the subspecialty: ABIM for medical and hematology/oncology, ABR for radiation oncology, ABS for surgical oncology, ABP for pediatric, and ABOG for gynecologic. Verify the license and board status before the start date.
DEA registration and NPI
An oncologist who prescribes controlled substances needs a current DEA registration, and every billing physician needs a National Provider Identifier. Confirm both are active and tied to your practice location. These are part of the credentialing packet, not afterthoughts, and a missing or location-mismatched registration can delay the start date.
Payer enrollment and CAQH
Before the physician can bill, they must be enrolled with payers, including Medicare through the PECOS system and the commercial plans you work with, and most credentialing runs through a CAQH profile. Payer enrollment is often the longest single step, commonly taking months, so start it early and track it as its own workstream in the hiring timeline.
Hospital privileges and malpractice
If the role involves hospital or facility care or surgery, the physician needs privileges at each facility, which is a separate application and review process, and surgical privileging can add time. The physician also needs malpractice coverage per your policy. Confirm privileges and coverage are in place before the first clinical day, and keep the signed documentation on file.
The National Provider Identifier is issued through the CMS NPPES registry, and a practice handling protected health information is a HIPAA covered entity under the HHS HIPAA rules. Plan these alongside the posting, not after it.
Credentialing Gates the Start Date
A state license, board status, DEA registration, NPI, CAQH profile, malpractice coverage, hospital privileges, and payer enrollment (including Medicare through PECOS) all have to be in place before the physician sees patients and the practice bills. Payer enrollment is often the longest step. Start it early and track it as its own workstream. This is general information, not legal advice.
Requirements and Qualifications
This is a highly credentialed role where training and verified credentials are non-negotiable. Name the subspecialty training and the specific credentials your practice requires, and plan to verify each before the start date.
Requirement
What to know
Degree
MD or DO
Training
Base residency plus the relevant oncology fellowship
Board
ABIM, ABR, ABS, ABP, or ABOG by subspecialty
Licensure
Active, unrestricted state medical license
Credentials
DEA, NPI, CAQH, malpractice, hospital privileges
Enrollment
Payer enrollment including Medicare via PECOS
Set the training and credentials to the subspecialty, and treat verification as part of the hire. The O*NET profile for physicians lists common tasks, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
How to Write an Oncologist Job Description
A strong oncologist posting takes shape once you settle the subspecialty, the credentials, and the timeline. Here is the process the templates are built around.
1
Name the subspecialty
Medical, radiation, surgical, pediatric, hematologist, or gynecologic oncology are different hires with different training and boards. Pick the one you need before writing.
2
List the real responsibilities
Diagnosis and treatment, patient care, multidisciplinary coordination, and quality and compliance, calibrated to the subspecialty.
3
Spell out training and credentials
Base residency plus oncology fellowship, state license, the correct board, DEA, NPI, CAQH, malpractice, and privileges.
4
Classify and set pay
Physicians are FLSA exempt. Benchmark compensation to subspecialty survey data and describe the base, incentive, and call structure.
5
Plan the credentialing timeline
Credentialing and payer enrollment, including Medicare through PECOS, determine the real start date. Run them as their own workstream.
Keep the posting neutral and inclusive, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics.
Oncologist Pay and Outlook
Oncologist pay is high and varies by subspecialty, region, and productivity, and it has to be benchmarked from private survey data because the government does not track the role separately.
Pay and Demand (BLS)
The BLS has no separate oncologist code, folding the role into physicians and surgeons, a group with a median wage at or above $239,200 in May 2024, the top of the BLS scale. The combined group held about 839,000 jobs, with employment projected to grow 3% from 2024 to 2034 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
For oncologists specifically, private compensation surveys put earnings well above the broad physician median, with reported averages commonly in the mid-$400,000s, reflecting the long subspecialty training and strong demand for cancer care. Within oncology, pay varies by subspecialty, with procedural and surgical fields and certain markets at the higher end, and by how compensation splits between base salary, productivity or incentive pay, and call coverage. Because demand outstrips supply and the oncologist workforce density is declining relative to an aging population, compensation is competitive. For a posting, benchmark to subspecialty-specific survey data and your region and setting rather than the broad federal physician figure, describe the pay structure clearly, and include a good-faith range where required. National compensation surveys are the right reference for this role.
Hiring an Oncologist
A hospital or cancer center hires oncologists through an HR department, physician recruiters, and a credentialing office. A smaller or independent practice makes the same hire directly, where a medical director or owner runs the search and the credentialing, usually without a dedicated HR function. Here is what actually matters.
Most oncologists are hired by hospitals, cancer centers, and large groups, not small practices
Be clear-eyed about who hires an oncologist, because it shapes the whole process. More than half of oncologists work within health systems, academic medical centers, and large multispecialty groups, and the market has been consolidating: the average number of oncologists per practice has risen sharply over the past decade while the share in solo and small practices has fallen. There are still small and independent oncology practices, and they do hire, but they are a shrinking segment, and even a small practice often exceeds 50 total staff once you count physicians, nurses, infusion staff, billing, and reception. If you are a small or independent practice making this hire, write the posting around your specific setting and the subspecialty you need, be realistic that the candidate pool is small and competitive, and expect a long, specialized search rather than a routine posting. The total number of oncologists in the United States is modest and the density is declining relative to the aging population, so demand outstrips supply.
Oncologist is an umbrella: the subspecialties are different hires with different training
Oncologist is not one job; it is a family of subspecialties that share the word but differ in training, board, and daily work, and the posting should name the one you need. A medical oncologist treats cancer with systemic therapy and completes an internal medicine residency plus an oncology fellowship. A radiation oncologist plans and delivers radiation and completes a radiation oncology residency, and note that in the UK this role is called a clinical oncologist, which causes confusion in international candidate pools. A surgical oncologist operates and comes through a general surgery residency and surgical oncology fellowship. A pediatric oncologist treats children and trains through pediatrics. A hematologist-oncologist treats both blood disorders and cancer and is the most common subspecialty, frequent in community practice where one physician covers both. A gynecologic oncologist treats reproductive cancers through an OB/GYN pathway. Each has a different board, ABIM, ABR, ABS, ABP, or ABOG, so asking for the wrong subspecialty, or being vague, attracts the wrong candidates. This page includes a template for each of the main subspecialties.
Credentialing drives the timeline, and it has to be done before the first patient
The single biggest practical difference between hiring an oncologist and hiring most other roles is credentialing, and it has to be planned from day one because it determines when the physician can actually see patients and bill. The physician needs an active, unrestricted state medical license; the relevant board certification or board-eligible status; a DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances; a National Provider Identifier; a current CAQH profile; malpractice coverage; and, where the role involves facility care or surgery, hospital and operating-room privileges. On top of that, before the practice can be paid, the physician must be enrolled with payers, including Medicare through PECOS and the commercial plans, and that enrollment is often the longest step, commonly running for months. Build credentialing and payer enrollment into the hiring timeline as their own workstream, start them as early as possible, and store the verified documents centrally, because a single missing item can push back the start date and the first billable visit. This is general information, not legal advice.
After You Hire: Onboarding
The job description is step one, and for an oncologist the onboarding has to treat credentialing and payer enrollment as the critical path, because those steps, not the paperwork, decide when the physician can see patients and when the practice gets paid. Have the offer or employment agreement signed with the compensation structure and exempt status, complete Form I-9 within the first days along with the rest of the new hire paperwork, and gather tax forms.
In parallel, run the credentialing workstream, ideally started before the start date: verify the state license and board status, confirm the DEA registration and NPI, complete the CAQH profile, confirm malpractice coverage, apply for hospital and OR privileges where needed, and begin payer enrollment including Medicare through PECOS, which is usually the longest step. Store the verified credentials and the signed onboarding documents centrally and track each to completion, the kind of structured start the employee onboarding guide describes, since a single missing item can delay the first patient.
Because a smaller practice rarely has a dedicated HR function, a documented, repeatable process saves real time. FirstHR fits the workflow directly: e-signature for the offer and employment agreement, document management to store licenses, board certificates, DEA, NPI, malpractice, and privileging records, task workflows so each credentialing step is tracked, training modules for HIPAA and practice onboarding, and a simple HRIS with an org chart as the practice grows. Because pricing is flat rather than per seat, a small practice pays one rate as it scales. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, and it does not perform primary-source credentialing verification, so pair it with a payroll provider and your credentialing process. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
Oncologist is an umbrella over subspecialties (medical, radiation, surgical, pediatric, hematologist, gynecologic); name the one you need before writing.
Each subspecialty has different training and a different board: ABIM, ABR, ABS, ABP, or ABOG.
Credentialing governs the hire: state license, board status, DEA, NPI, CAQH, malpractice, and hospital privileges must be verified before the start date.
Payer enrollment, including Medicare through PECOS, is often the longest step and gates billing, so run it early as its own workstream.
Physicians are FLSA exempt under the learned professional exemption, and the salary-basis test does not apply to them.
The BLS has no separate oncologist code (physicians and surgeons median at or above $239,200, May 2024); benchmark pay from subspecialty survey data.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an oncologist do?
An oncologist diagnoses and treats cancer, leading patient care from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up. The core duties cluster into a few areas: diagnosis and treatment, including diagnosing and staging cancer, developing treatment plans, and delivering or overseeing therapy; patient care, including leading care across the treatment journey, communicating with patients and families, and managing follow-up and survivorship; coordination, including leading the multidisciplinary team, participating in tumor boards, and working with surgery, radiation, and pathology; and quality and compliance, including maintaining documentation and metrics, following safety standards, and supporting clinical trials. The specific work depends heavily on the subspecialty. A medical oncologist treats cancer with systemic therapy such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy, a radiation oncologist plans and delivers radiation, a surgical oncologist operates, a pediatric oncologist treats children, a hematologist-oncologist treats both blood disorders and cancer, and a gynecologic oncologist treats reproductive cancers. Because these are distinct roles with distinct training, a good job description names the subspecialty. This page offers a template for each of the main ones.
What are the different types of oncologists?
Oncologist is an umbrella term covering several subspecialties that differ in training, board certification, and daily practice. A medical oncologist treats cancer with systemic therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormonal therapy, after an internal medicine residency and an oncology fellowship. A radiation oncologist plans and delivers radiation treatment with the physics and dosimetry team, after a radiation oncology residency; in the United Kingdom this same role is called a clinical oncologist, which causes confusion in international hiring. A surgical oncologist performs cancer surgery, trained through general surgery plus a surgical oncology fellowship. A pediatric oncologist treats cancer and blood disorders in children, trained through pediatrics. A hematologist-oncologist treats both blood disorders and cancer and is the most common oncology subspecialty, frequently seen in community practice where one physician covers both. A gynecologic oncologist treats cancers of the female reproductive system through an OB/GYN pathway. Each subspecialty maps to a different certifying board, so when you write a posting, name the specific type you need rather than the generic title, because asking simply for an oncologist, or for the wrong subtype, attracts candidates who do not fit the role.
What credentials does an oncologist need?
An oncologist needs an MD or DO degree, completed residency and an oncology fellowship, and a full set of active credentials that must be verified before the start date. The clinical training is a residency in the base specialty, internal medicine for medical and hematology/oncology, radiation oncology, general surgery, pediatrics, or OB/GYN, followed by the relevant oncology fellowship. On the credentialing side, the physician needs an active, unrestricted state medical license; board certification or board-eligible status with the relevant board, ABIM, ABR, ABS, ABP, or ABOG depending on subspecialty; a DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances; a National Provider Identifier; a current CAQH profile; malpractice coverage; and, where the role involves facility care or surgery, hospital and operating-room privileges. Before the practice can bill, the physician must also be enrolled with payers, including Medicare through the PECOS system and the commercial plans. These credentialing and enrollment steps are not formalities; they determine when the physician can legally see patients and when the practice can be paid, and payer enrollment in particular often takes months. Build credentialing into the hiring timeline as its own workstream. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is an oncologist exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
An oncologist is exempt from overtime. Physicians are classified as exempt under the FLSA learned professional exemption, which applies to work requiring advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by a prolonged course of specialized intellectual instruction, exactly the extended medical education an oncologist completes. In fact, licensed physicians are treated specially under the rules: the salary-basis test that applies to most exempt employees does not apply to physicians, so an oncologist is exempt based on the professional nature of the work regardless of how the pay is structured. As a practical matter, this means you do not owe overtime to an oncologist, and the question that consumes hiring is not classification but credentialing and compensation structure: base salary, productivity or incentive pay, call coverage, and benefits. Even though classification is straightforward here, the offer and employment agreement should still state the exempt status clearly and document the full compensation arrangement. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm classification and contract terms with a professional.
Does the federal government track oncologist as a separate occupation?
No, and this is a useful thing to understand when you benchmark the role. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have a separate occupational code for oncologists. In the federal Standard Occupational Classification system, oncologists are folded into the broad category of physicians, with most counted under physicians, all other, while surgical oncologists fall under surgeons. As a result, there is no official BLS employment count or median wage specifically for oncologists; the federal data only reports physicians and surgeons as a large combined group, which had about 839,000 jobs in 2024 and a median wage at or above $239,200, the top of the BLS reporting scale. For oncologist-specific pay, you have to rely on private compensation surveys rather than government data, and those surveys put oncologist earnings well above the general physician median, reflecting the subspecialty training. When you set compensation for a posting, benchmark to subspecialty-specific survey data and your region and setting rather than to the broad federal physician figure, and remember that pay varies widely by subspecialty, productivity, and practice type.
How do I write an oncologist job description?
Start by naming the subspecialty, since a medical, radiation, surgical, pediatric, hematologist, or gynecologic oncologist are genuinely different hires, then build the posting around the clinical role and the credentialing requirements. Pick the matching version from the templates. Write an honest position summary and list the real responsibilities, which span diagnosis and treatment, patient care, multidisciplinary coordination, and quality and compliance, calibrated to the subspecialty. Spell out the required training, the base residency plus the relevant oncology fellowship, and the credentials: state medical license, board certification or board-eligible status with the correct board, DEA registration, NPI, CAQH, malpractice coverage, and hospital or OR privileges where relevant. State the reporting line and the practice setting, since candidates read for fit. Classify the role as exempt, which physicians are. Set compensation using subspecialty-specific survey data and describe the structure, base, incentive, and call, with a good-faith range where your state requires it, and add an equal-opportunity statement. Crucially, plan the credentialing and payer-enrollment timeline alongside the posting, because those steps determine the real start date. The free templates on this page give you a starting structure for each subspecialty, with the credentialing notes built in.
How much does an oncologist make?
Oncologist pay is high and varies by subspecialty, region, productivity, and practice type, but it has to be benchmarked from private survey data because the government does not track the role separately. The Bureau of Labor Statistics folds oncologists into physicians and surgeons, a combined group with a median wage at or above $239,200 in May 2024, the top of the BLS scale, so that figure is a floor for the broad physician category rather than an oncologist-specific number. Private compensation surveys put oncologist earnings well above that level, with reported averages commonly in the mid-$400,000s, reflecting the long subspecialty training and the demand for cancer care. Within oncology, pay varies by subspecialty, with procedural and surgical subspecialties and certain markets at the higher end, and by how compensation is structured between base salary, productivity or incentive pay, and call coverage. Because demand for oncologists outstrips supply and the workforce density is declining relative to an aging population, compensation is competitive. For a posting, benchmark to subspecialty-specific survey data and your region and setting rather than the broad federal physician figure, describe the pay structure clearly, and include a good-faith range where required.
What happens after I hire an oncologist?
Run an onboarding that treats credentialing and payer enrollment as the critical path, because for a physician those steps, not the paperwork, determine when the new hire can see patients and when the practice gets paid. Start the employment basics: have the offer or employment agreement signed with the compensation structure and the exempt status, complete Form I-9 in the first days, and gather tax forms. In parallel, and ideally started before the start date, run the credentialing workstream: verify the state medical license and board status, confirm the DEA registration and NPI are active and tied to your location, complete the CAQH profile, confirm malpractice coverage, and apply for hospital and OR privileges where the role requires them. Begin payer enrollment early, including Medicare through PECOS and the commercial plans, since this is usually the longest step and gates billing. Store all verified credentials, the signed agreement, and the enrollment confirmations centrally, and track each item to completion, because a single missing credential can delay the first patient visit. Then orient the physician to the practice, the team, the EHR, and clinical workflows. Because a smaller practice rarely has a dedicated HR function, a documented, repeatable process saves real time. FirstHR fits the workflow directly: e-signature for the offer and employment agreement, document management to store licenses, board certificates, DEA, NPI, malpractice, and privileging records, task workflows so each credentialing step is tracked, training modules for HIPAA and practice onboarding, and a simple HRIS with an org chart as the practice grows. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, and it does not perform primary-source credentialing verification, so pair it with a payroll provider and your credentialing process. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
