1044 - TEAMRO: Final Analysis of TEAMRO (TEAching Mentorship in Radiation Oncology), A Multicenter Prospective Phase 2 Intervention Study on Teaching Mentorship Skills to Resident Physicians Working with Med

A. Saraf¹, A. J. Sim², J. J. Chen³, C. Kelsey⁴, G. S. Gill⁵, A. Le⁶, K. Lichter⁷, M. N. Mills², N. Razavian⁸, S. Moningi⁹, and R. B. Jimenez¹⁰; ¹Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, ²H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Department of Radiation Oncology, Tampa, FL, ³University of California, San Francisco, Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, San Francisco, CA, ⁴Department of Breast Radiation Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, ⁵Department of Radiation Oncology and Applied Sciences, Dartmouth Cancer Center, Dartmouth Health, Lebanon, NH, ⁶Department of Radiation Oncology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, ⁷University of California, San Francisco Department of Radiation Oncology, San Francisco, CA, ⁸Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, ⁹Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, ¹⁰Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Purpose/Objective(s): Formalized mentorship in academic medicine is linked to elevated career trajectories and a sustained positive impact on patient care. Our previous needs-based assessment found teaching of mentorship skills is lacking among radiation oncology training programs. We hypothesize the implementation of a resident mentorship curriculum and a formalized resident-medical student mentoring program will increase resident mentorship skills and actively enhance resident experience and career development. Materials/

Methods: A multi-institutional, prospective, phase 2 intervention study enrolled participants from the Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group Graduate Medical Education Committee from 4/2022-10/2023. The intervention consisted of a 4-week curriculum and a formalized 1:1 resident-medical student mentorship program during an existing radiation oncology sub-internship. Resident participants completed the Mentorship Competency Assessment (MCA; a validated 26-item survey) before and after the intervention. The primary endpoint was the average change in MCA score (range: -7 to +7). Logistic regression was utilized to assess the association between baseline characteristics and change in MCA score.

Results: A total of 22/27 enrolled residents (82%) who participated in the study completed pre- and post-intervention surveys. Most were PGY-4/5 (55%), from programs with >10 residents (68%), and did not have prior training in teaching (77%) or mentorship (82%). Most residents (80%) completed at least 2 of 3 components of the curriculum. The faculty check-in component was rated helpful or very helpful (76%), followed by the lecture (39%) then the readings (33%). Residents met with students twice weekly (range: 1-4) for an average of 2.3 hours a week (range: 1-8). After the program, most residents felt confident in being a future mentor to students (91%), overall well-being was positively impacted (80%), and mentorship relationships were positively impacted (70%). All 26 mentorship skills on MCA increased after intervention (mean +1.2/7 per skill). Skills showing greatest improvement were negotiating path to professional independence (+1.7/7), coordinating effectively with other mentors (+1.6/7), helping network effectively (+1.6/7), and setting clear expectations of mentorship relationship (+1.6/7). PGY level, residency size, prior formal teaching experience, or prior formal mentorship experience were not associated with greater change in MCA score (p>0.05).

Conclusion: A formalized mentorship program can impart mentorship skills to radiation oncology trainees and positively impact their own well-being and mentoring relationships. Future studies should assess how unique strengths of medical residents can be optimally included in student mentorship networks.