Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education
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As part of a university-wide initiative, competency-based medical education (CBME) was implemented in the Medical Oncology training program at Queen's University in July 2017. Stages, entrustable professional activities (EPAs), and required training experiences established by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) national subspecialty committee were adopted. Entrada (Elentra), the electronic portfolio developed at Queen's University, was used for assessment collection. ⋯ Discussions between the program director, residents, program administrator, CBME education consultant, and CBME lead led to the identification of 9 lessons learned during implementation. These centered on (1) faculty and resident development and engagement; (2) sharing the work of CBME; (3) collaboration and communication; (4) global assessment; (5) assessment plan challenges; (6) burden of CBME; (7) limitations of e-portfolio; (8) importance of early tracking of resident progress; and (9) culture change. This article describes the experience of the authors and considers strategies that may be helpful to programs implementing CBME in their teaching and learning environment.
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In response to the COVID-19 social distancing guidelines, residency and fellowship programs transitioned to virtual instruction to deliver didactics and continue with medical education. The efficacy of such a fully online learning environment, however, remains unknown. To investigate its impact on medical education, this study surveyed hematology/oncology fellows at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center on their attitudes regarding the online-based lecture program. ⋯ Ninety percent felt safer at home attending these lectures compared with receiving these lectures in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, most fellows felt comfortable with the transition to a fully online learning environment. Strategies to encourage active participation, enhance social interaction, and provide additional flexibility are still needed.
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The importance of mentorship in medicine and its impact on academic and professional development has been widely studied. However, mentorship for medical students in the field of radiation oncology is limited. Our radiation oncology department developed a formal medical student mentorship program in 2004. ⋯ Our institution successfully developed a formalized mentorship program for medical students interested in radiation oncology. Participants in this program reported high levels of satisfaction and emphasized the importance of mentorship in the development of valuable research competencies and on their overall career path. This program can serve as a model for future mentorship initiative in medical school.
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Much research has been conducted to investigate predictors of an academic career trajectory among neurosurgeons in general. This study seeks to examine a cohort of fellowship-trained neurosurgical oncologists to determine which factors are associated with a career in academia. Publicly available data on fellowship-trained neurosurgical oncologists was aggregated from ACGME-accredited residency websites, from program websites listed on the AANS Neurosurgical Fellowship Training Program Directory, and from professional websites including Doximity. ⋯ Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center graduated the most neurosurgical oncologists in our cohort (n = 23). Our study establishes a novel factor that is predictive of academic career trajectory among fellowship-trained neurosurgical oncologists, specifically having an h-index of ≥2 during residency. Our results may be useful for those mentoring students and trainees with an interest in pursuing academia.
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Communication skills training is standardly offered to health professionals working in cancer; however, there is no consensus on the precise style or duration of training, which is most effective. This study aimed to examine the experiences of health professionals who had participated in either a 1-day communication skills training workshop focusing on experiential learning or a 2-h workshop in which participants discussed different communication styles demonstrated on purpose-designed videotapes. Twenty health professionals comprising ten from each workshop type participated in a semi-structured interview with an interpretative descriptive design. ⋯ Participants self-reported increased confidence following both workshops and perceived improvements in delivery of person-centred care. Both the 1-day and the 2-h communication workshops were a positive experience for the groups who attended. The 1-day communication workshop offered an opportunity for experiential learning, which the 2-h group felt would have been worthwhile; however, both groups found value in attending the workshops.