Cancer Research

The mission of the AACR is to prevent and cure cancer through research, education, communication, and collaboration. Through its programs and services, the AACR fosters research in cancer and related biomedical science; accelerates the dissemination of new research findings among scientists and others dedicated to the conquest of cancer; promotes science education and training; and advances the understanding of cancer etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment throughout the world. Watch a video about the importance of basic science in cancer research: http://www.youtube.com/user/AACRNews#p/a/u/2/fPB0NrxJ1eo

The AACR is the authoritative source of information about advances in the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer, and publishes six peer-reviewed scientific journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; and Cancer Prevention Research, as well as CR, a magazine for cancer survivors, patient advocates, their families, physicians and scientists.

Dynamic interactions and exciting science characterize all of the AACR’s meetings, conferences and educational workshops. The Annual Meeting, the largest of its kind in the world for cancer researchers, attracts more than 17,000 researchers from over 60 countries. In addition to the Annual Meeting, the AACR holds several large conferences that focus on the latest developments and advances in Molecular Diagnostics, Frontiers in Cancer Prevention, Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (joint meeting with EORTC and the NCI), Cancer Health Disparities, and Translational Cancer Medicine. Eight to 12 Special Conferences focus on emerging areas of cancer research each year. Similar conferences are held overseas in conjunction with international cancer research organizations. The AACR also conducts a unique series of educational workshops that offers young scientists the latest scientific information along with critical skills that include mentoring, networking and career development opportunities.

Watch a video about AACR meetings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxNa3_DEC5o&feature=player_embedded

Building upon the AACR’s longstanding commitment to fostering partnerships with survivor advocates—and to fulfill its goal of significantly expanding these relationships—the association’s Survivor and Patient Advocacy Program is dedicated to fostering mutually beneficial and enduring partnerships among leaders of the cancer survivor, patient advocacy and scientific communities. Additionally, the AACR’s office of Science Policy and Government Affairs advocates for strong federal research funding.

Clinical

Suppose that you have always wanted to work in a hospital, but never got around to attending medical school and becoming a doctor (”I could have done it if I wanted to! Really!”).  Fortunately, you are in luck!  Hospitals of all types hire many different levels and types of professionals for clinical and non-clinical hospital jobs.

Working for a hospital can be an awarding experience.  After all, hospitals are there to make sick people better.  Contributing to a good cause can provide you with a sense of worth, and make your work meaningful.  Whether you work in an administrative role, as a janitor, or the manager of a gift shop, working for hospitals can definitely be rewarding.  You will be able to work around many people and enjoy great job security.

Each hospital contains many different departments and profit centers, most of which run as a separate entity within the hospital.  Some non-clinical departments in hospitals include the cafeteria, gift shop, and the morgue.  The many different departments account for a large number of jobs available to all levels of education and professional experience.

The rest of this article will focus on the many non-clinical jobs available at a hospital near you:

1.  Case manager / social worker

A case manager or social worker in a hospital may provide services to patients or other individuals in the hospital, providing advocacy, information and other services.  Particularly for mental health patients, case management can implement of special health plans.  Other social workers may take care of social issues that may be affecting the lives of certain patients.

2.  Accountants

As with any business in the world, hospitals are in need of accountants.  There is always a need to organize numbers, and accountants in hospitals are often responsible for the maintenance of spreadsheets and database files, reconciling monthly bank statements, and controlling unclaimed property and returned checks.

3.  Human Resources and Recruiting

Again, as it was with accounting, every business benefits from a human resources department.  Most human resources departments deal with issues such as benefits, employee satisfaction, and recruiting.  In a hospital, that may include dealing with doctor job applications or finding new recruits for both clinical and non-clinical jobs.

4.  Information Technology

Information technology is defined as the study, design, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems.  As hospitals are complicated business that deals with the complicated issue of medicine, information technology in a hospital can be essential.

5.  Administrative Assistant

Administrative assistants play a big role in the hospital.  They are responsible for providing support to doctors and other hospital administrators by coordinating schedules, organizing patient files, and handling billing and insurance documentation.  Hospitals of today are complex business environments that require the same sort of employees are a modern day office.  These administrative assistants deal with paperwork, phone calls, and schedules that doctors and nurses may not have time for.

As you can see, you do not need a medical degree to be part of the hospital workforce.  There are many different avenues that you can take to begin your career at one of your local hospitals!