Career prospects in cancer rehabilitation

Cancer is a medical condition wherein the cells divide uncontrollably and spread to different tissues. Along with physical symptoms, the disease also brings mental stress.

To treat the disease holistically, professional disciplines like cancer rehabilitation are becoming the need of the hour.

Cancer rehabilitation begins right from diagnosis and involves living with, through, and beyond a diagnosis of cancer. It aims to maintain or restore and rejuvenate an individual’s physical, mental and spiritual well-being at home and the workplace.

When the process is used before or during the treatment, it is often regarded as cancer prehabilitation.

Cancer rehabilitation can be done through a series of therapies and scientific approaches.

Job roles

A dedicated team of cancer rehabilitation specialists includes psychiatrists, rehabilitation nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, lymphedema therapists, pulmonary therapists, speech-language therapists, nutritionists, counsellors, recreational therapists, social workers, chaplains and other therapists who focus on smoking and alcohol cessations.

The need for skilled professionals has also paved the way for studying cancer rehabilitation as an academic discipline. A professional course in cancer rehabilitation is offered as Masters in Science certification in some universities. However, several institutions also provide short-term courses.

The course curriculum revolves around the basics of cancer and its prominent causes, cancer and modifiable risks that a patient is exposed to, research methods & statistics, essentials of exercise rehabilitation and psychology of health and disease. It also includes imbibing a healthier lifestyle in people to reduce the risk of chronic medical conditions like cancer and heart diseases.

The course curriculum also focuses on clinical exercise testing, prescription, programming, and research investigation, which are paramount.

Employability

Cancer rehabilitation specialists are required in all major hospitals and cancer centres.

Potential future careers could include working as a rehabilitation and exercise physiologist in government or leading private healthcare centers.

You can also include working as a lifestyle advisor or personal trainer.

As a student one can also apply for fellowships at cancer centres for an immersive exposure and industrial expertise required for a cancer rehabilitator. Students can participate in major research-driven projects, publish in peer-reviewed journals and can help in developing an evidence-based approach to cancer rehabilitation.

Finally, though cancer rehabilitation is still in its nascent stage, medical science is considering the effects of cancer rehabilitation and acknowledges that the treatment of cancer goes beyond treating the tumour to helping improve the lives of patients.

(The author is the recruitment manager at the University of Hull, in the United Kingdom)