Impact of a Single Institution Resident-Led Education Committee in Radiation Oncology

Abstract

Purpose Resident-led collaborative groups provide a platform to refine ideas and support professional development and scholarship during residency. To actively engage in radiation oncology (RO) education and leadership, residents formed an Education Committee (EC). Here, we discuss the structure and impact of a resident-led EC. Methods With the support of the RO program leadership at a single academic institution, this committee was created with the goals of (1) identifying and addressing gaps in residency education, (2) implementing sustainable educational initiatives across various interprofessional groups, and (3) sharing ongoing projects within medical education to identify resources and invite collaboration. The leadership core consisted of 1-2 resident co-chairs and committee sub-leads. The committee held one-hour monthly meetings, which consisted of journal club to review medical education literature followed by pre-set discussion of topics spanning committee goals. Faculty consultants were invited to attend to provide their expertise. Results The EC included medical and physics residents and grew from 6 to 10 members within the first two years of implementation. It worked with department and institutional leadership to implement initiatives to address gaps identified in medical resident education, medical student outreach, and interprofessional RO education. Additionally, members used this platform to find collaborators and identify resources for education projects, including global health and climate health initiatives. Key outputs of the EC included an updated repository of shared residency resources with high-yield educational material, site-specific reading lists developed with faculty, and a week-long statistics module now integrated into the curriculum. To improve medical student outreach, the EC established collaboration with the affiliated medical school's Oncology Interest Group to launch mentorship programs, including a tumor board seminar series engaging students in multidisciplinary oncology care. To support interprofessional RO education, the EC leads a medical assistant RO curriculum, which now has plans for multi-institutional expansion to other RO programs. Discussion Residencies are in need of pathways to foster resident engagement in medical education and scholarship. Additionally, the apprenticeship nature of RO training often lacks leadership and teaching opportunities, which can be supplied through resident-led collaborative groups. Here, we described our experience establishing a resident-led EC in RO, which has cultivated a community of resident leaders in education at our institution. This committee has been instrumental in implementing and sustaining initiatives across various facets of medical education. Successful initiatives can then be scaled for national implementation. This committee structure can serve as a framework for other RO programs. Resident-led collaborative groups provide a platform to refine ideas and support professional development and scholarship during residency. To actively engage in radiation oncology (RO) education and leadership, residents formed an Education Committee (EC). Here, we discuss the structure and impact of a resident-led EC. With the support of the RO program leadership at a single academic institution, this committee was created with the goals of (1) identifying and addressing gaps in residency education, (2) implementing sustainable educational initiatives across various interprofessional groups, and (3) sharing ongoing projects within medical education to identify resources and invite collaboration. The leadership core consisted of 1-2 resident co-chairs and committee sub-leads. The committee held one-hour monthly meetings, which consisted of journal club to review medical education literature followed by pre-set discussion of topics spanning committee goals. Faculty consultants were invited to attend to provide their expertise. The EC included medical and physics residents and grew from 6 to 10 members within the first two years of implementation. It worked with department and institutional leadership to implement initiatives to address gaps identified in medical resident education, medical student outreach, and interprofessional RO education. Additionally, members used this platform to find collaborators and identify resources for education projects, including global health and climate health initiatives. Key outputs of the EC included an updated repository of shared residency resources with high-yield educational material, site-specific reading lists developed with faculty, and a week-long statistics module now integrated into the curriculum. To improve medical student outreach, the EC established collaboration with the affiliated medical school's Oncology Interest Group to launch mentorship programs, including a tumor board seminar series engaging students in multidisciplinary oncology care. To support interprofessional RO education, the EC leads a medical assistant RO curriculum, which now has plans for multi-institutional expansion to other RO programs. Residencies are in need of pathways to foster resident engagement in medical education and scholarship. Additionally, the apprenticeship nature of RO training often lacks leadership and teaching opportunities, which can be supplied through resident-led collaborative groups. Here, we described our experience establishing a resident-led EC in RO, which has cultivated a community of resident leaders in education at our institution. This committee has been instrumental in implementing and sustaining initiatives across various facets of medical education. Successful initiatives can then be scaled for national implementation. This committee structure can serve as a framework for other RO programs.