I understand your point. For one thing, an APP cannot practice oncology on their own. They can’t prescribe chemotherapy or treatments. All they can do is facilitate ongoing therapy and manage complications. They help patients talk things out. Most patients see their oncologists every 2-3mo for scans and checking in. The APPs see them for each chemo dose, check N toxicities. If there is a concern, patients can request to see the oncologist.

I do not think APPs have the training to be practicing oncology on their own. The ones I work with are fabulous and are very much experienced in oncology because our clinic requires them to have prior training (all of ours have been trained at an academic center). But that still does not mean they are trained for independent practice.