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What Did You Think of the Hematology/Oncology Rotation? A Survey of Internal Medicine Residents
HONGBIN CHEN, MD, PHD, AMIR MORTAZAVI, MD, ELLIS LEVINE, MD, SEEMA KAMISETTI, SILPA KAMISETTI, NITHYA RAMNATH, MD
AbstractBackground. To evaluate responses of residents to a hematology/oncology rotation. Methods. A self-administered mail survey among internal medicine residents in a university-based training program who were required to complete a hematology/oncology rotation at a comprehensive cancer center. Results. The majority of the residents rated the duration of the rotation as adequate and quality as excellent or good. It had a positive impact on certain knowledge areas, general opinion about hematology/oncology, preparation for board examination, and motivation to pursue this subspecialty, especially among residents who had performed additional electives. Conclusions. A hematology/oncology rotation received a generally positive evaluation from internal medicine residents. J Cancer Educ. 2007; 22:50-55.
C ancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Clinical management and treatment of patients with cancer requires knowledge and skill by physicians adequately educated and trained in the field of hematology/oncology (Hem/Onc). This is usually achieved through the fellowship training in the subspecialty of Hem/Onc after postgraduate residency training in internal medicine (IM).1 According to a recent survey of program directors in subspecialty training in Hem/Onc conducted by the American Society of Hematology, 90% of applicants to those adult training programs received residency training at U.S. or Canadian programs, and 95% of existing trainees were recruited from U.S. or Canadian IM residency programs.2 Among the greatest challenges reported by training program directors was recruiting trainees to their programs: attracting a competitive applicant pool (1 in 5 directors), recruiting from a competitive pool (1 in 5 directors), or both aspects of the recruiting process (1 in 4 directors). Despite the growing demand and interest in Hem/Onc, the question remains as how to attract and recruit desirable trainees from current IM residency programs.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires that clinical experience in sub-specialties (including Hem/Onc) of IM be included in residency training in either an inpatient or an ambulatory setting.3 Such clinical experience would expose residents in training to the general principles of Hem/Onc with an
understanding of the prevention, detection, diagnosis, staging, and treatment of cancer and its complications.4...