Ontario Radiation Oncology Residents' Needs in the First Postgraduate Year-Residents' Perspective Survey

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrobp.2007.03.006· OSTI ID:21036255

Szumacher, Ewa ^[1]; Warner, Eiran ^[1]; Liying, Zhang ^[2]; Kane, Gabrielle ^[3]; Ackerman, Ida ^[1]; Nyhof-Young, Joyce ^[3]; Agboola, Olusegun ^[4]; Metz, Catherine de ^[5]; Rodrigues, George ^[6]; Voruganti, Sachi ^[7]; Rappolt, Susan ^[8]

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1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Toronto Regional Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
2. Department of Clinical Trials and Epidemiology, Toronto Regional Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
3. Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)
4. Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada)
5. Department of Radiation Oncology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario (Canada)
6. Departments of Radiation Oncology and Epidemiology/Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario (Canada)
7. Department of Radiation Oncology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada)
8. Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

Purpose: To assess radiation oncology residents' needs and satisfaction in their first postgraduate year (PGY-1) in the province of Ontario. Methods and Materials: Of 62 radiation oncology residents, 58 who had completed their PGY-1 and were either enrolled or had graduated in 2006 were invited to participate in a 31-item survey. The questionnaire explored PGY-1 residents' needs and satisfaction in four domains: clinical workload, faculty/learning environment, stress level, and discrimination/harassment. The Fisher's exact and Wilcoxon nonparametric tests were used to determine relationships between covariate items and summary scores. Results: Of 58 eligible residents, 44 (75%) responded. Eighty-four percent of residents felt that their ward and call duties were appropriate. More than 50% of respondents indicated that they often felt isolated from their radiation oncology program. Only 77% agreed that they received adequate feedback, and 40% received sufficient counseling regarding career planning. More than 93% of respondents thought that faculty members had contributed significantly to their learning experience. Approximately 50% of residents experienced excessive stress and inadequate time for leisure or for reading the medical literature. Less than 10% of residents indicated that they had been harassed or experienced discrimination. Eighty-three percent agreed or strongly agreed that their PGY-1 experience had been outstanding. Conclusions: Most Ontario residents were satisfied with their PGY-1 training program. More counseling by radiation oncology faculty members should be offered to help residents with career planning. The residents might also benefit from more exposure to 'radiation oncology' and an introduction to stress management strategies.

• OSTI ID: 21036255
• Journal Information: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, Vol. 69, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2007.03.006; PII: S0360-3016(07)00466-X; Copyright (c) 2007 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0360-3016
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
LEARNING
MEDICAL PERSONNEL
OCCUPATIONS
ONTARIO
PLANNING
TRAINING
WORKING CONDITIONS