Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2016 Feb;13(2):203-9.
doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2015.06.036. Epub 2015 Sep 26.

Multi-Institutional Implementation and Evaluation of a Curriculum for the Medical Student Clerkship in Radiation Oncology

Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group, Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group Writing Committee; Daniel W Golden  1 , Steve Braunstein  2 , Rachel B Jimenez  3 , Pranshu Mohindra  4 , Alexander Spektor  5 , Jason C Ye  6 ; Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group Members
Collaborators, Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Multi-Institutional Implementation and Evaluation of a Curriculum for the Medical Student Clerkship in Radiation Oncology

Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group, Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group Writing Committee et al. J Am Coll Radiol. 2016 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: Radiation oncology curriculum development is challenging because of limited numbers of trainees at any single institution. The goal of this project is to implement and evaluate a standardized medical student clerkship curriculum following the multi-institutional cooperative group research model.

Methods: During the 2013 academic year, a standardized curriculum was implemented at 11 academic medical centers consisting of three 1-hour lectures and a hands-on radiation treatment planning workshop. After the curriculum, students completed anonymous evaluations using Likert-type scales (1 = "not at all" to 5 = "extremely") and free responses. Evaluations asked students to rate their comfort, before and after the curriculum, with radiation oncology as a specialty, knowledge of radiotherapy planning methods, and ability to function as a radiation oncology resident. Nonparametric statistical tests were used in the analysis.

Results: Eighty-eight students at 11 academic medical centers completed the curriculum de novo, with a 72.7% (64 of 88) survey response rate. Fifty-seven students (89.1%) reported intent to pursue radiation oncology as their specialty. Median (interquartile range) student ratings of the importance of curricular content were as follows: overview, 4 (4-5); radiation biology/physics, 5 (4-5); practical aspects/emergencies, 5 (4-5); and planning workshop, 4 (4-5). Students reported that the curriculum helped them better understand radiation oncology as a specialty (5 [4-5]), increased specialty decision comfort (4 [3-5]), and would help the transition to radiation oncology residency (4 [4-5]). Students rated their specialty decision comfort significantly higher after completing the curriculum (4 [4-5] versus 5 [5-5]; P < .001).

Conclusions: A national standardized curriculum was successfully implemented at 11 academic medical centers, providing proof of principle that curriculum development can follow the multi-institutional cooperative group research model.

Keywords: Radiation oncology; curriculum; medical students; undergraduate medical education.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Consort diagram of students completing curriculum and submitting evaluations.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Student ratings of the usefulness of each curriculum component.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kern DE, Thomas PA, Hughes MT. Curriculum development for medical education: A six-step approach. Second The Johns Hopkins Universtiy Press; Baltimore, MD: 2009.
    1. Golden DW, Raleigh DR, Chmura SJ, et al. Radiation oncology fourth-year medical student clerkships: a targeted needs assessment. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2013;85:296–297. - PubMed
    1. Jagadeesan VS, Raleigh DR, Koshy M, et al. A national radiation oncology medical student clerkship survey: didactic curricular components increase confidence in clinical competency. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2014;88:51–56. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Golden DW, Spektor A, Rudra S, et al. Radiation oncology medical student clerkship: implementation and evaluation of a bi-institutional pilot curriculum. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2014;88:45–50. - PubMed
    1. Timmerman R, Paulus R, Galvin J, et al. Stereotactic body radiation therapy for inoperable early stage lung cancer. JAMA. 2010;303:1070–1076. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types