MedicalRecruiting.com operates a dedicated oncology recruiting division placing medical oncologists, hematologist-oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists, gynecologic oncologists, and pediatric oncologists at hospitals, NCI-designated cancer centers, community oncology practices, and academic medical centers across all 50 states. Our oncology recruiters understand the disease-team and tumor-board structures that drive candidate acceptance and the access challenges in rural oncology recruiting.
The American Cancer Society projects more than 2.4 million new cancer diagnoses in 2026, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology has documented a worsening oncologist shortage projected to exceed 2,200 oncologists by 2030. Rural and small-metro markets face an especially severe oncology access crisis — many counties have no oncologist at all, forcing patients to travel hundreds of miles for treatment.
MedicalRecruiting.com runs a dedicated oncology recruiting practice that places medical oncologists, hematologist-oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists, gynecologic oncologists, and pediatric hematologist-oncologists.
We work with hospitals, NCI-designated cancer centers, community oncology practices (including PE-backed platforms like US Oncology and OneOncology affiliates), and academic medical centers. Our recruiters understand the disease-team specialization, tumor board structure, and infusion center economics that drive oncology candidate decisions.
Oncology recruiting requires precise matching to subspecialty and disease focus. Our team covers:
Medical Oncology / Hematology-Oncology — Combined heme-onc trained oncologists treating both solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. The largest segment of oncology recruiting.
Radiation Oncology — Fellowship-trained radiation oncologists running linear accelerator and brachytherapy programs. Concentrated at hospital-based and freestanding cancer centers.
Surgical Oncology — Fellowship-trained surgical oncologists performing complex tumor resections (HPB, sarcoma, peritoneal, breast). Concentrated at academic and high-volume cancer centers.
Gynecologic Oncology — Fellowship-trained gyn-onc surgeons treating cancers of the female reproductive tract. Concentrated at NCI centers and large academic programs.
Pediatric Hematology-Oncology — Fellowship-trained pediatric heme-onc physicians at children's hospitals. Severe national shortage.
Disease-Focused Oncology — Subspecialty oncologists focused on a single disease (breast, GI, GU, thoracic, neuro-onc). Growing model at large academic and NCI centers.
Hematology-Only — Benign and malignant hematology specialists — coagulation, anemia, sickle cell, and hematologic malignancies. A small but growing recruiting niche.
Our oncology recruiters work with a broad range of healthcare organizations across the country:
Hospital-Based Cancer Programs — Community and tertiary hospital cancer programs with employed oncology divisions.
NCI-Designated Cancer Centers — National Cancer Institute-designated programs with research, clinical trial, and disease-team specialization mandates.
Community Oncology Practices — Independent and PE-backed community oncology groups (US Oncology Network affiliates, OneOncology, Texas Oncology, and similar).
Academic Medical Centers — University-affiliated cancer programs with combined clinical, teaching, and research roles.
Radiation Oncology Networks — Multi-site radiation oncology networks (21st Century Oncology successors, GenesisCare, hospital-based networks).
Critical Access and Rural Hospitals — Hospitals expanding rural cancer access via visiting oncology clinics, telehealth-supported chemotherapy, and partnership models.
Our oncology recruiting process is designed for the specific realities of the oncology physician market — competitive counteroffers, long candidate timelines for some subspecialties, and the need for precise practice-environment matching.
Discovery and Position Profiling — We begin by understanding your call structure, patient volumes, team dynamics, compensation philosophy, and growth trajectory. A oncology position at a community hospital requires a fundamentally different candidate profile than one at a tertiary academic referral center.
Candidate Identification and Outreach — Our oncology candidate database includes active and passive candidates across every subspecialty and practice setting. We combine database matching with proactive outreach to oncology physicians whose training, procedure mix, and career trajectory align with your specific position. We do not simply post and wait — we recruit.
Qualification and Vetting — Every candidate we present has been personally interviewed by a recruiter who understands oncology as a specialty. We review training background, board status, procedure or panel volumes where applicable, licensure history, and malpractice history before presentation.
Offer Management and Negotiation — Our recruiters manage the offer process from initial conversation through signed contract — including productivity and call-structure negotiation, sign-on bonus structuring, relocation, and income guarantee periods during ramp-up.
Time-to-Fill — We set realistic timelines at search launch based on your subspecialty mix, market dynamics, and offer competitiveness. Most general oncology positions fill in 60–120 days; harder subspecialty searches can run 150–180 days.
Oncology compensation reflects subspecialty, productivity model, and practice setting:
Medical Oncologists / Heme-Oncologists — Total compensation typically $450,000–$650,000 in employed positions. Community oncology partnership tracks can exceed $700,000 at established practices.
Radiation Oncologists — Total compensation typically $450,000–$650,000 in employed positions; partnership in independent radiation oncology groups can be substantially higher.
Surgical Oncologists — Total compensation typically $500,000–$750,000 at high-volume academic and tertiary programs.
Gynecologic Oncologists — Total compensation typically $500,000–$750,000 at NCI and large academic centers.
Pediatric Heme-Onc — Total compensation typically $300,000–$450,000, lower than adult oncology reflecting pediatric reimbursement realities.
Geographic Variation — Rural and small-metro oncology placements often pay 15–30% above national averages, with sign-on bonuses of $100,000+ and loan repayment.
For detailed compensation benchmarking, visit our physician salary comparison tool. For a strategic overview of the specialty, see oncology on our specialties hub.
Medical oncology and hematology-oncology positions typically fill in 90–180 days. Radiation oncology, surgical oncology, and gyn-onc searches typically run 120–240 days. Pediatric heme-onc and rural oncology searches can extend beyond 240 days given severe national shortages.
Yes. Rural and small-metro oncology placements are a meaningful part of our work. We help organizations build competitive offers including enhanced compensation, sign-on bonuses, loan repayment programs, partnership tracks, and community narratives that resonate with mission-driven candidates.
Yes. Radiation oncology recruiting requires precise matching to equipment platform (Varian, Elekta, IBA), brachytherapy capability, and case mix. We place radiation oncologists at community hospital-based programs, freestanding centers, and academic medical centers.
We offer contingency engagements (no upfront fee, billed only on a successful start — request a quote at /contact for a tailored proposal) and retained engagements for subspecialty and executive searches. Most community oncology searches run on contingency.
Yes. Locum tenens oncology is increasingly common for bridging permanent searches and covering medical leaves at smaller programs. Typical locum deployment timelines are 4–8 weeks given credentialing complexity.
Yes. Oncology nurse practitioners and PAs are a major part of modern cancer team staffing. We recruit oncology APPs through our nurse practitioner and physician assistant divisions and can build out the full oncology care team for new programs.