Report on the First Annual Symposium for the Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group

Abstract

The Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group (ROECSG) was founded in 2013 as a collaborative platform to promote and study education initiatives within Radiation Oncology (RO), modelled after clinical cooperative research groups. Given limited opportunities for live presentation and extended discussion of RO specific educational research, the first annual ROECSG symposium was held in Chicago in June 2018. This report summarizes symposium proceedings, analyzes participant feedback regarding challenges and opportunities for RO education scholarship, and evaluates attendee perceptions of the symposium. This one day symposium consisted of research talks, perspectives from the Association of Directors of Radiation Oncology Program (ADROP) leadership, and a keynote speaker on the topic of medical education scholarship. Presentations were recorded and made available online (https://voices.uchicago.edu/roecsg/events/2018symposium/). A 30-item feedback survey instrument was administered at the close of the symposium. There were 40 attendees from 20 institutions including international representation from Canada and Europe. Participants included attending physicians (50%), residents (33%), medical students (11%), nurses (3%), and program coordinators (3%). 86% of participants were involved with either undergraduate or graduate medical education. Twenty-two moderated scholarly presentations were given on topics, including curriculum development, mentorship, and wellness, with focus on technology, simulation based medical education, and innovative learning tools. Participants reported a median of 2 (interquartile range 0-3) poster presentations of their educational research in the past two years but a median of 0 (interquartile range 0-1) oral presentations. 55% of attendees gave an oral presentation at the symposium. 68% felt there was a lack of opportunity to present their RO education scholarship at other meetings. 29% reported a lack of education research-oriented seminars, funding, or mentorship at their respective institutions. 97% of participants felt the symposium provided ample opportunity for feedback and networking on their RO education scholarly activities. All felt that the symposium provided a forum to foster development of collaborative education projects. The first annual ROECSG symposium provided a new venue for educational scholarship presentation, development, networking, and collaboration. Feedback confirmed a unique opportunity for oral presentation and discussion of ROcentric education research. Impact on subsequent scholarship activities will be assessed on follow up surveys. Given the diverse attendee pool, this forum may also allow for development of interprofessional education. Based on the success of this first ROECSG symposium the organizing committee plans to make this an annual event.