Average Salary

• The latest figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, published in 2008, lists the average annual salary for physicians and surgeons who are training in a specialized area of medicine (such as pediatric oncology) to be $340,000. However, this figure does not necessarily apply to pediatric oncology alone and a 2009 survey by CejkaSearch.com listed the average salary for pediatric oncologists at $212,577.
  
  

Location

• One factor that can have an influence on the salary of a pediatric oncologist is the location in which she practices. A survey by SalaryExpert.com of several cities in the United States found that Atlanta, Georgia had the highest average salary, at $158,513, while Chicago, Illinois offered the lowest, at $93,301.
  
  

Employment

• Pediatric oncologists are predominantly employed by hospitals, medical centers and specialist cancer treatment facilities. They may also find job opportunities at the private practices of pediatric physicians or surgeons. Some pediatric oncologists work in government research or teach in tertiary education establishments.
  
  

Education

• To become a pediatric oncologist and begin to earn a salary commensurate with that position, an individual must undergo extensive training. Following the successful completion of a bachelor's degree, she must attend medical school for four years. Upon graduation she will practice general medicine for five years in order to attain her medical practitioners licence. Only then can she undertake a fellowship in pediatric oncology, typically lasting three years.
  
  

Outlook

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics posits a healthy future for physicians and surgeons of all specialisms working in the American medical profession. It predicts a 22 percent rise in demand for such professionals in the years 2008-2018. HealthCare-TrainingCenter.com predicts that demand within the pediatric sector itself will definitely continue to grow to 2014. This is in part due to increased rates of pediatric cancer. The National Cancer Institute found that rates have risen by a few percent since the 1970s. However, mortality from these cancers has dropped by 50 percent over that time, due to medical advancements in treatment.