ABSTRACT
Dr Jessica Haverford despaired of finding a desirable career path in medicine before she encountered radiation oncology. She felt that the regular hours of this specialty would allow her to contemplate motherhood and the opportunity to help patients with cancer would be meaningful and fulfilling. She learned how to buffer the stress of giving bad news to patients. Dr Haverford’s leadership abilities were soon identified, and she was asked to take on a part-time administrative role alongside her radiation oncology practice. In her early days of stepping into powerful roles, she suffered from insecurity, which passed with time and experience. But a demanding career, bringing up children, and maintaining a marriage was quite a challenge. Work-life integration wasn’t easy and initially carried a cost for her personal life. She eventually came through, stronger and happier than ever.
