The cancer center pairs a 30-chair infusion suite, including two private rooms, with an on-site pharmacy that mixes all chemotherapy in-house and an on-site lab that draws labs in the building. Radiation oncology sits directly across the hall, with on-site dosimetry and physics and a current Varian Edge system for radiosurgery and conventional treatment. Benefis has committed a $5 million investment for a new radiation machine within the next two to three years. On-site X-ray is available at the center, and PET/CT is handled in the main hospital radiology department in the south tower, with PET capacity recently expanded to three days per week.
Support services are built into the same setting: a genetic counseling suite with an on-site counselor, dietary and nutrition support, an in-building palliative care clinic, a hospice partnership through Benefis, and an on-site cancer registry. For patients traveling long distances across Montana, Gift of Life Housing provides free, apartment-style lodging about 100 yards from the center, funded through philanthropy.
The schedule is outpatient-based, Monday through Friday. A representative day starts with inpatient rounds around 7:00 AM using the tunnel to the hospital, clinic opens at 9:00 to 9:30, and the last patient is typically seen around 3:30, with most days ending by about 5:00 PM. Fridays are light and often finished by noon, leaving time for administrative work or short follow-ups. Procedure rooms are available for bone marrow biopsies if you perform them, and telehealth and occasional outreach are available if you want them.
You would take part in two weekly tumor boards, Breast on Wednesdays at 7:00 AM and General on Fridays at 7:00 AM. Attendance draws medical oncology, pathology, radiology, surgery, and plastic surgery, along with Great Falls Clinic providers and several retired community physicians who stay involved. Late-phase clinical trials, Phase III and IV, are available and give patients additional treatment options without travel. Complex cases such as acute leukemias are transferred when appropriate, most often to Seattle, University of Utah, Mayo Clinic, or MD Anderson, and a visiting gynecologic oncologist from University of Utah supports the group.
Call is shared across two Benefis medical oncologists, two Great Falls Clinic medical oncologists, and one per diem physician, running 1 in 5 today and moving to 1 in 6 once a new physician joins. Weekday call covers your own patients. Weekend call runs Friday 5:00 PM to Monday 8:00 AM and includes rounding on inpatient oncology patients Saturday and Sunday. The burden is described as low, supported by strong inpatient oncology nursing and a hospitalist team that manages daily medical care and reduces unnecessary calls.
The base salary sits near MGMA median, about $540,000 to $550,000 (2024 MGMA), for the first two years, structured as a guaranteed salary with production upside. After two years, the role moves to a full production model. Current providers earn between $800,000 and $900,000 annually. The package includes a $40,000 signing bonus, relocation assistance, and student loan repayment on a case-by-case basis through Benefis, alongside PSLF eligibility as a 501c3 nonprofit. Benefits include eight weeks of paid time off, about $5,000 per year for CME plus $1,000 for licensing and dues, a retirement match of 5 to 7 percent, and a 457(b) savings option. The hospital also has an on-site gym.
Teaching involvement may be available through a developing medical school program.