Careers in Cancer

Most Macmillan Professional roles are not directly recruited by us. Instead, they are advertised and recruited through our partner organisations. We encourage those interested in working as a Macmillan Professional to apply for these roles. However, these roles may not always be available.

We are currently not funding new Macmillan GP roles. We are still supporting Macmillan GPs who are funded by the organisations they work for.

Whether you are in a Macmillan Professional role or another cancer role, you'll be making a difference in the lives of people with cancer. Below are some tips to help you purse or change to a career in cancer.

Research different cancer pathways

There are many different roles in cancer. The first step is to research what role you might be interested in. The NHS Health Careers website has useful information on different roles in the NHS, including cancer care roles.

Some roles may require a university degree or a diploma. Or you may be able to do an apprenticeship.

By exploring roles and the pathways into them you can decide what you might be interested in.

Review key requirements and competencies for the role you're interested in

If you find a role you are interested you should review the essential requirements and competencies for the role.

These could include:

• a university degree or healthcare qualification
• UK professional registration
• further specialist training or professional development diplomas
• ability to prove specialist knowledge in cancer.

Many job advertisements will include contact details for the recruiter. It may helpful to get in touch to have an informal chat about the role.

Get advice from peers

For those interested in moving to a cancer role, it can be helpful to get advice from those already in the field.

You could speak to a colleague in a cancer role to learn about their career journey. They may be able to point you to courses or opportunities you may not know about.

Attend courses and other learning opportunities

It can be helpful to sign up for online courses to learn more about cancer roles and to develop your skills.

The Macmillan Learning Hub hosts an array of online courses. It is open to any current healthcare professionals.

The NHS health careers website have a career planning tool. It includes a course finder, information on apprenticeships, career events and more.

The National Careers Service also provides information on different healthcare roles and pathways into them.

FutureLearn have different courses for those who want to better understand cancer. The courses cover a range of topics from diagnosis to management and treatment.

The key skills needed for most roles in cancer care include:

• excellent communication skills for working with people affected by cancer and colleagues
• empathy, sensitivity and emotional resilience
• organisational skills and attention to detail
• the ability to work well under pressure
• the ability to work as part of a team.

Depending on the role and the level of seniority, you will need other specific skills. For example, as your career progresses you may need more managerial skills for leading teams.

Most clinical roles in cancer require a degree approved by a regulatory body such as the General Medical Council or the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

For some roles, such as nursing, it is possible to take an apprenticeship and study alongside work. You can learn more about qualifications needed for specific role on the NHS's health careers website and by contacting universities.

Below is an example of what may be required for different healthcare roles.

Cancer doctor

To become a doctor specialising in cancer (oncologist) you will complete a 5 year degree at medical school. In most cases you will need A and A* grades in A levels including chemistry. Some medical schools will also ask for biology, maths or physics A levels. Research different medical schools to find out about their entry requirements.

It may be possible to complete a medical degree in 4 years if you already have another degree.

When you have completed your medical degree, you will go on to a 2 year foundation training. This is a paid role where you will usually have 6 different work placements.

After the foundation training you will then need to do at least 2 years Internal Medical Training. You can then apply for specialty training (ST) to become a medical or clinical oncologist.

Specialty training levels are referred to as ST1, ST2, ST3 etc. Each level correlates to a year of full-time training. You would usually enter an oncology programme at ST3. It is a minimum of 5 years to complete this training to become a consultant.

The Royal College of Radiologists and the Joint Royal College of Physicians Training Board have detailed information about different roles and training pathways for doctors.

Cancer nurse

Most people qualify to be a nurse by studying a degree in Nursing approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. To be accepted on to the degree you will need GCSEs and 3 A levels, including a life science such as biology. Contact different universities to find out which qualifications they accept.

It is also possible to train to be a nurse by doing a registered nurse degree apprenticeship. This combines academic study and on-the-job training and will usually take four years.

After completing your nursing qualification you would then get a job as a registered nurse.

If you are interested in cancer care, ask locally about opportunities to shadow some cancer nurses. You would then usually get your first job within cancer after some experience as a registered nurse on a ward or in the community.

For example, if you gained experience working on a breast unit you could then apply for a job as a Breast Cancer Nurse Specialist. You would then complete post-graduate education in breast cancer care once you had started in the role.

You can find more information about becoming a cancer nurse specialist on the Royal College of Nursing website.

Allied Health Professionals

Allied Health Professionals working in cancer care include radiographers, dieticians, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and physiotherapists. In some cases, such as therapeutic radiographer, you will work only in cancer settings.

To qualify for these roles you will need to study for a degree. If you already have a degree in another subject you can do a 2-year fast-track course for some professions. You will then register with a regulatory body such as the Health and Care Professions Council.

For some Allied Health Professional roles you can also qualify by doing an apprenticeship degree. After qualifying you'll continue your training through Continual Professional Development.