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Originally published June 1, 2026
Last updated June 1, 2026
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Every specialty has its own challenges to navigate around. One unique challenge in oncology is that the word “cancer” stirs up a lot of emotions in patients and their families, understandably so. As providers, we’re generally meeting people on what is maybe the worst day of their life, when they’re getting the worst news of their life. You end up having really heavy conversations on a daily basis, and that in itself can take a toll.
Another thing that’s unique to oncology is that providers develop close relationships with patients and their families. In some other specialties where there isn’t that continuity of care, doctors may see a patient for one problem, and that’s pretty much it. In our field, however, we see the patient every couple of weeks for treatment. Building that relationship with patients makes you really invested in their care. You want treatment to go well. When there’s a bad outcome, you obviously feel terrible. On the other hand, when there’s a good outcome, you feel great. Like most jobs, there are good days and bad days.
That said, trying to separate your feelings at work from your home life can still be a challenge. Here are some ways I try to find balance.
I’m lucky to have some quiet time to myself before and after work. I have about a 30-minute commute to work. After work, it’s actually nice to have that wind-down time in the car just to process the day. By the time I get home, I’ve had time to think about the workday, and I’m ready to transition to home.
I recently became a first-time dad. Before that, I was working for a community practice where I was seeing a high volume of patients and commuting long distances every day. Before we had kids, this was fine. It was a great job. But when my wife got pregnant, we realized this schedule might not be sustainable.
I think a lot more now about work-life balance because I have more obligations at home. When you’re applying for jobs, they can all kind of look the same on paper, but when you’re actually working somewhere, you realize the subtle differences and expectations of the people you’re around every day. This is one of the reasons I’m grateful to be at Keck Medicine. Having so much support here allows me the latitude to focus on being a dad and a husband as well.
As in most things in life, you can prepare all you want, but until you’re in it, every situation is a new ball game. At work, you naturally want to excel in your professional career and do all the things that are asked of you — and more. Because of this, maintaining balance will always be a fluid process, as the expectations and needs of both work and family are constantly changing.
My wife and I try to take things day by day and to be honest with each other. She is also a doctor with Keck Medicine, and it’s really helpful to have a partner who understands your work life.
My wife and I are fortunate to have a lot of family support. That was one of the universal pieces of advice we got from family and friends when we had a baby: try to be around family if possible because it really does make a big difference.
We also have a lot of friends with kids who work for Keck Medicine and who have similar day-to-day schedules and experiences as us. We definitely look to them for support and advice.
I love to golf. That’s probably my main outlet outside of family and work. Living in Southern California, the weather is great, so I try to enjoy leisurely outdoor activities like going for walks with the family, hiking and going to the beach.
It can be tough to realize when you’re feeling burned out. When you’re working long hours and focused completely on work, months can go by during which you don’t recognize how stressed you are.
When you’re feeling burned out, you might feel that your work is more of a burden than a privilege. Burnout affects people in different ways, but I think one common effect is not having the drive anymore to do your best at work. That’s when burnout starts to affect your personal life and your relationships with family and friends as well.
The first step is to take the time to recognize what’s creating imbalance. Take the time for yourself to identify those causes. Once you do, sometimes the solution is obvious. For me what’s been helpful is trying to take time out of every day just to process the day, including the bad things that have happened.
My other advice would be: don’t isolate yourself. People process burnout in different ways, but reaching out to others when you need help is definitely appropriate, even if some people may find it harder to ask for help than others.
It’s also important for your coworkers to know they can turn to you. Burnout can be a difficult subject to broach, but you can try to break the ice by sharing experiences that are tough for you personally. You can say, “Man, I really had a tough day.” Just putting that out there sometimes makes colleagues feel more open to sharing their experiences.
Also, let people know they can rely on you if they need anything. Medicine is very much a team sport, and you need each other for coverage. Creating that team atmosphere is incredibly important.
That old saying, “You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others,” is really true. In addition, having your own personal life and interests makes you more relatable to patients. Patients recognize that physicians have to be physically and mentally healthy to provide good service. They want to know that your life doesn’t revolve around work all the time.
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