I’m sorry to hear that you are facing such a difficult decision. I can imagine that balancing work and cancer treatment is not easy, and that you have many factors to consider.

There is no definitive answer to whether you should take on more work responsibilities or not, as it depends on your personal situation, preferences, and goals. However, I can offer you some information and suggestions that might help you make an informed choice.

First, you may want to talk to your oncologists and ask them about your prognosis, treatment plan, and possible side effects. This can help you assess how your health condition may affect your work performance and availability, and vice versa. You may also want to ask them if they have any recommendations or resources for managing work and cancer.

Second, you may talk to your employer and explore your options for increasing your hours and getting health insurance.

I hope this helps! Please remember that whatever decision you make, you are not alone. There are many people and organizations that can support you along the way. For example, you can check out this handbook for employers and employees on how to manage cancer at work, or this article on how physicians rank work-life balance by specialty. You can also find more information and resources on cancerwork-lifebalance.com, a website dedicated to helping cancer patients and survivors with work-related issues.
https://cancer.eu/wp-content/uploads/ECL_Cancer-at-Work_Handbook-for-Employers_2020_digital.pdf
https://www.ama-assn.org/medical-residents/medical-resident-wellness-bloxd io/physicians-rank-residency-work-life-balance-specialty
I wish you all the best!

 Hi Julia,

Thank you so much for reaching out to Cancer and Careers! I'm not sure who Oscar is above, but they did suggest some helpful considerations and actions such as speaking wiht your oncologist to get a better sense of what you can anticipate and what would be realistic for you at this time. 

To start it makes sense to assess what an increase in hours would look like for you. Depending on the work you do, is there flexibility in scheduling? For instance if you start working more hours and realize you need a break in the afternoon, would you be able to finish up your work later in the day? Perhaps also find out if it would be possible to reduce your hours if there is a need to do so. It's important to gather as much information prior to making your decision, so that you know you are considering all of the options available and choose the one more conducive to your needs and your situation. 

You also mention that your oncologist mentioned there is a chance that your cancer will come back. While I can empathize that would make you wary about making any decisions, you can't always base your choices on the "what ifs" associated with cancer as I'm sure you've recognized the great deal of unknowns when it comes to managing a new or recurring diagnosis. I'd recommend making your decisions based on what you know to be true now, and having a back up plan if things do change and you realize you need to pivot and rethink/rework your approach. I'd also encourage you to keep in mind the fluidity of treatment and recovery when you are communicatng with work. Try not to speak in any type of absolutes, but just let them know you're telling them what you know to be true now, and if things will change you plan to keep them informed. 

I suggest you take a look at some of our resources that may be helpful as you gather the necessary information.

Some helpful articles.

• Your legal rights at work


• Requesting Reasonable Accommodations


• Getting Organized

Useful webinars: 

• Communicating Effectively: Part 1


• Communicating Effectively: Part 2


• Making Key Decisions

Feel free to reach out to cancerandcareers@cew.org with any further questions or if you would like any additional information or resources.

 Warmly,

Nicole Jarvis, LMSW

Assistant Director of Programs

Cancer and Careers