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Comparative Study
. 2017 Jan;14(1):96-102.
doi: 10.1016/j.jacr.2016.07.017. Epub 2016 Sep 18.

Educational Impact of a Structured Radiation Oncology Clerkship Curriculum: An Interinstitutional Comparison

Jonathan J Oskvarek  1 , Jeffrey V Brower  2 , Pranshu Mohindra  3 , David R Raleigh  4 , Steven J Chmura  5 , Daniel W Golden  6
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Educational Impact of a Structured Radiation Oncology Clerkship Curriculum: An Interinstitutional Comparison

Jonathan J Oskvarek et al. J Am Coll Radiol. 2017 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: Many medical school clerkships have structured curricula; however, most radiation oncology clerkships do not. The Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group (ROECSG) implemented a curriculum for fourth-year radiation oncology clerkships at 14 institutions. We hypothesized that students completing clerkships with the curriculum would report greater subjective knowledge and comfort to function as a radiation oncology resident compared with students completing clerkships without the curriculum.

Methods: The ROECSG curriculum included three 1-hour lectures and a 1-hour hands-on radiation treatment planning workshop. Applicants to a single radiation oncology residency program in the 2014-2015 academic year were sent an anonymous, validated clerkship experience survey. Students indicated if clerkships were completed at a curriculum site. Likert-type data (1 = not at all, 5 = extremely) are reported as median (interquartile range).

Results: Respondents described 276 clerkship experiences, of which 64 (23.2%) were completed at a curriculum site. Students whose first clerkship was at a curriculum site perceived greater postclerkship confidence in knowledge of radiation biology (3 [3-4] versus 2 [2-3], P < .01), treatment setup/positioning (3 [2-3] versus 2 [2-3], P < .05), treatment planning (3 [2-3] versus 2 [2-3], P < .01), and ability to integrate evidence-based medicine into treatment (4 [2-4] versus 3 [2-4], P < .05). Students who completed any clerkship with the curriculum had greater postclerkship confidence to function as a radiation oncology resident (3 [3-4] versus 3 [2-3], P < .05).

Conclusions: These results support the curriculum's ability to increase student knowledge in radiation oncology, especially in the students' first clerkship. Further, these findings suggest that expanded implementation of such curricula may ensure a rewarding educational experience during radiation oncology clerkships.

Keywords: Undergraduate medical education; curriculum evaluation; radiation oncology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Golden reports grants from the Radiologic Society of North America and having a financial interest in RadOnc Questions, LLC. No other authors report potential conflicts of interest.

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