ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the mental health of children, especially child welfare-involved youth, who are at a higher risk for behavioral health issues (Turney, K., & Wildeman, C. 2016). Approximately a quarter of Massachusetts youth who previously received psychotherapy discontinued care at the beginning of social distancing restrictions in 2020 (Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, 2021) and similarly the utilization rate of mental health services like Youth Mobile Crisis Intervention (YMCI) teams declined during the pandemic (Commonwealth of Massachusetts: MCI, 2021). YMCI teams provide urgent mental health evaluation and stabilization services for children in crisis either in the child's home or school, reducing emergency department visits. This project aims to identify and address barriers children in foster care may face when accessing YMCI. The goals are to 1. Characterize the Foster Children Evaluation Services (FaCES) clinic staff's and community organizations' understanding of YMCI use by foster parents 2. Create resources that guide families on when and how to access YMCI. Methods: Strategic exploration discussions were held with community organizations involved with foster youth to identify barriers to accessing YMCI. Additional meetings were organized with members of the FaCES interdisciplinary pediatric and behavioral health team, which ncludes clinicians and foster caregivers, to better understand the clinical team's current experience with utilizing YMCI as well as identifying when clinicians discuss YMCI with caregivers. Clinic workflow was reviewed to identify how educational materials may be provided to patients and foster families. Results: Based on discussions with the FaCES clinic team and community organizations, a lack of knowledge about YMCI among foster caregivers was identified. This included confusion about when to call YMCI and misunderstandings regarding the possible outcomes of a YMCI evaluation. Targeted educational handouts were created to help foster caregivers better understand accessing YMCI when a child is in a mental health crisis. These resources were integrated into the clinic's current workflow as handouts clinicians can e-mail to foster parents and posted on the clinic's website. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and exposed the mental health needs of children in foster care. Discussions with foster caregivers, clinical providers, and other professionals revealed a need for clear guidelines on accessing resources, such as YMCI, for youth in foster care experiencing mental health crises. The created materials guide families on how to access these resources to help keep youth in their care emotionally and physically safe.
ABSTRACT
In recent years, medical student (MS) applications to U.S. and Canadian radiation oncology (RO) residency programs have declined. The Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group (ROECSG) recently formed an Undergraduate Medical Education (UGME) committee consisting of attending physicians, residents, and MSs across the globe to further UGME educational efforts. This group identified a need for outreach activities to increase exposure to and interest in RO. In collaboration with LearnOncology, an online, interactive tool to teach oncology skills to learners at all levels, the UGME subcommittee created a structure for a podcast series to highlight oncology careers. This podcast series will be hosted on LearnOncology. Together, these groups identified key topics, informally surveyed MSs, wrote a standardized script, trained interviewers on recording and editing audio content, and set goals for the future scope of the podcast. MS and resident interviewers recently completed training and have scheduled initial faculty interviews. Edited podcast episodes will be ≤20 minutes, conducted informally to spotlight both the career and personality of the interviewee. Prominent oncology specialists (e.g. radiation, surgery, medicine, interventional radiology, and physics) will be featured. Listeners will be prompted to complete a brief survey. Interviewers and interviewees will partake in a separate survey to examine the impact of project participation. Podcast analytics and survey data will guide subsequent iterations of podcast episodes. Podcasts for UGME are a cost-effective teaching method, which gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hypothesize that this podcast will be a unique way to positively impact undecided MSs facing the challenge of choosing a career path and increase awareness about oncology specialties. Additionally, this may positively impact mentorship through linking MS and resident interviewers to specialist interviewees. The LearnOncologyXROECSG podcast platform, Cancer Careers, was created to address student questions, anxieties, and excitement related to choosing an oncology career. We expect that this project will increase exposure to oncology and MS interest in oncology careers, including RO. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)