University of Kansas Medical Center Kansas City, KS
K. Reddy, and A. Hoover; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
Purpose/Objective(s): Applications to radiation oncology residency training positions among graduates of US medical schools have declined over the last 5 years. Factors contributing to decline in medical student interest in RO, as compared to other oncology specialties such as surgical oncology (SO) and medical oncology (MO), are not well understood. To improve recruitment to RO training positions, we sought to better understand factors influencing medical student specialty choices. Materials/
Methods: We conducted an electronic survey among 110 members of ASCO sponsored oncology interest groups at US medical schools, with content focusing on factors influencing student specialty choices and perceptions of MO, RO, and SO. Surveys were administered electronically, and responses anonymous. Chi square test or Fishers exact test was used to compare categorical variables. Results: Factors students most commonly listed as very important when selecting a medical specialty included specialty content (85%), lifestyle/work life balance (85%), personality fit (77%), availability of desirable jobs following training (61%), geographic location of training (47%), mentor/role model influence (46%), research/career development opportunities (35%), length of training (29%), salary (28%), and competitiveness of specialty (16%). Fifty-nine percent of applicants strongly agreed that specialty content for MO is interesting versus 31% for RO and 46% for SO (p<0.05). Thirty percent of students strongly agreed that RO provides reasonable work life balance, versus 22% for MO and 5% for SO (p<0.05). Thirty-eight percent of students strongly agreed that they would enjoy working in MO versus 15% for RO and 18% for SO (p<0.05). Sixty-one percent of students strongly agreed that providers in MO have time and opportunities to engage in meaningful patient provider relationships versus 32% for RO and 27% for SO. No significant differences were found when responses were stratified by gender. Similarly, no significant differences were observed among groups under-represented in medicine. Conclusion: Medical students consider a range of factors when making specialty choices. Among oncology specialty choices, student perceptions of these factors differ significantly. These differences may be contributing to the decline in applicants to RO residency training programs among US graduates. Recognition of these differences will inform more meaningful discussions between RO providers and students considering oncology careers.
