Chai Brandon S, Dou Aaron, Du Joy, Bezjack Andrea, Debenham Brock, Raman Srinivas, Ingledew Paris-Ann
Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 600 West 10 thAvenue, Vancouver, V5Z 4E6, Canada.
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
J Cancer Educ. 2025 May 23. doi: 10.1007/s13187-025-02650-x.
The rising cancer incidence has increased demand for radiation oncologists, surpassing current staffing expansion estimates. Enhancing radiation oncology (RO) recruitment is essential to ensure high-quality cancer care. This study evaluates a 2024 Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology (CARO) Annual Scientific Meeting workshop aimed at increasing medical student interest in RO by assessing current initiatives, identifying barriers and proposing strategies. The workshop was guided by Kern's curriculum development model, which involved medical students, RO residents, staff, and program directors. It was comprised of an interactive presentation on existing scholarship and a group discussion. Data was collected through polls, observational notes, and a post-workshop survey. Thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Twenty-seven attendees participated, including six workshop leaders. Amongst 21 survey respondents, there were 8 (38%) medical students, 6 (29%) RO residents, 5 (24%) RO staff, 1 (5%) RO fellow, and 1 (5%) clinical research coordinator. Participants represented six Canadian cancer centers across five provinces. Key motivators for pursuing RO included mentorship ("local champion"), work variety, team-based environment, technology, and patient population. Barriers included underexposure in the medical curriculum, misconceptions about job prospects, and the impact of artificial intelligence. Workshop evaluations were highly positive. Proposed initiatives included mentorship from "local champions" and mandatory shadowing. The workshop highlighted the importance of early mentorship and exposure in fostering medical student interest in RO. Implementing strategies mentorship and structured shadowing may help facilitate medical students' professional identity formation and their decision to pursue RO as a career.
癌症发病率的上升增加了对放射肿瘤学家的需求，超过了目前人员配备扩张的预期。加强放射肿瘤学（RO）人才招募对于确保高质量的癌症护理至关重要。本研究评估了2024年加拿大放射肿瘤学协会（CARO）年度科学会议的一个研讨会，该研讨会旨在通过评估当前举措、识别障碍并提出策略来提高医学生对RO的兴趣。该研讨会以克恩的课程开发模式为指导，涉及医学生、RO住院医师、工作人员和项目主任。它包括关于现有奖学金的互动式演讲和小组讨论。通过民意调查、观察记录和研讨会后的调查收集数据。采用主题分析和描述性统计进行分析。27名与会者参加了会议，包括6名研讨会负责人。在21名调查受访者中，有8名（38%）医学生、6名（29%）RO住院医师、5名（24%）RO工作人员、1名（5%）RO研究员和1名（5%）临床研究协调员。参与者代表了来自五个省份的六个加拿大癌症中心。追求RO的主要动机包括导师指导（“当地支持者”）、工作多样性、团队合作环境、技术和患者群体。障碍包括医学课程中的接触不足、对就业前景的误解以及人工智能的影响。研讨会评估非常积极。提议的举措包括“当地支持者”的指导和强制性跟班实习。该研讨会强调了早期指导和接触在培养医学生对RO兴趣方面的重要性。实施指导和结构化跟班实习策略可能有助于促进医学生职业身份的形成以及他们将RO作为职业的决定。
