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.)
ABSTRACT
The 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) had a broad impact on the care of cancer patients, including the rapid adoption of telehealth video visits. On March 15, 2020, our institutional leadership recommended transition to video visits, which posed a risk of altering patients' access to care. We assessed the impact of this rapid transition on demographic patterns in an urban academic radiation oncology department. Consultation and follow-up visits from the pre-COVID-19 period (January 1, 2019 to March 14, 2020) and COVID-19 period (March 15, 2020 to August 31, 2020) in a single radiation oncology department were identified. Demographics and appointment data were abstracted from the institutional electronic health record. Time trends and patient and visit characteristics were compared across the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods. During the study period, 9,450 consult and follow-up visits were performed pre-COVID-19 and 3,298 visits in the COVID-19 period. The proportion of video visits increased markedly in the transition period, from 0.6% of all visits in the week of March 2, 2020, to 87% in the week of March 23, 2020. In-person visits decreased from 98% to 3%. Among all visits (in-person and telehealth), those during the COVID-19 period were less likely to be new consultations (43.1% from 60.1%;P < 0.001). There was a small and significant increase in the proportion of visits with patients who: identified as white (61.8% from 58.4%, P = 0.019), spoke English as their primary language (91.3% from 89.4%, P = 0.002), and had commercial insurance (34.1% from 32.0%;P = 0.009). The overall COVID-19 clinic population retained demographic features similar to the pre-COVID-19 population despite a very rapid near-complete transition to telehealth. Nonetheless, the telehealth-predominant COVID-19 period had slightly increased visits with patients who were white or primarily English speaking or had commercial insurance. Strategies for ensuring telehealth is accessible to diverse populations should be a priority as telemedicine is integrated into long-term clinical operations. [ABSTRACT 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 abstract 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 abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)