The Impact of COVID-19 on US Radiation Oncology Residents

Abstract

The purpose of our study is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the clinical responsibilities, training, and wellness of US radiation oncology residents. An anonymous cross-sectional survey was sent to all 91 radiation oncology residency programs in the USA. The survey included questions related to demographics, changes in clinical duties and training, job prospects, and wellness indicators. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate factors associated with residents endorsing high satisfaction with their departments’ response to COVID-19. A total of 96 residents completed the survey from 67 US radiation oncology programs. In the multivariate logistic regression model, remote contouring (OR: 3.91 (95% CI: 1.11, 13.80), p = 0.03) and belief that one will be adequately trained to independently practice after completing residency (OR: 4.68 (1.12, 19.47), p = 0.03) were significantly associated with high resident satisfaction with their department’s response to COVID-19. Most residents indicated that hypofractionation was encouraged to a greater extent ( n = 79, 82.3%), patients were triaged by disease risk ( n = 67, 69.8%), and most agreed/strongly agreed that they have been provided with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) ( n = 85, 88.5%). The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the training and wellness of radiation oncology residents. Our analysis suggests that radiation oncology programs might increase resident satisfaction with their department’s response to COVID-19 by enabling remote contouring and working with residents to identity and remedy possible concerns regarding their ability to independently practice post residency. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13187-021-01993-5.

Impact of COVID-19 on Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Programs: A Quantitative and Qualitative Survey Assessment of Fellowship Program Directors

“…Among our survey participants, 21.4% had redeployed fellows to cover non-HO services in response to the pandemic, a proportion similar to other published studies in specialty care in which a minority of programs redeployed their fellows to cover other clinical services. 20,23-25 As shown in our companion manuscript, 26 the redeployment of HO fellows to clinical COVID-19 work was associated with significantly higher odds of trainee burnout. Redeployment of trainees to cover clinical services outside their training specialty has been reported in epicenters of the pandemic and raises concerns about the challenges and the long-term impact of COVID-19 on trainee well-being as residents and fellows across different specialties are redeployed to practice outside their scope of current training.…”

The landscape of digital resources in radiation oncology

“…Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted paradigms in clinical education globally with restrictions imposed in the form of social distancing and curtailment of hands on procedures [3] , [4] . Face-to-face classes and case presentations saw a drastic decrease in attendance, thus limiting trainees' learning opportunities [5] . Online tools and platforms such as Zoom, WebEx, and Microsoft Teams have been increasingly utilized for knowledge sharing throughout radiation oncology departments [6] .…”