2071 - Radiation Oncologists in Canada: A Comprehensive Survey of Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, Disability, Race, Ethnicity, Religion and Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Experience

A. Khan¹, S. Allen², I. J. Gerard³, R. Bbeaudry⁴, G. Bandiera⁵, J. G. Ringash², R. Jagsi⁶, J. M. Croke², and S. Loewen¹; ¹Department of Oncology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, ²Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, ³McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada, ⁴Libin Cardiovascular Research Institute, Calgary, AB, Canada, ⁵Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, ⁶Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Purpose/Objective(s): Our objectives were to assess the sociodemographic diversity of the Canadian radiation oncologist (RO) workforce and to understand perceptions about workplace harassment and discrimination. Materials/

Methods: A 48-question online survey delivered via a survey platform was distributed to RO members of the Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology and to administrative leads at all 53 Canadian radiotherapy facilities for circulation. Anonymous responses were collected between July 2023 and December 2023. Chi-square tests were used to compare gender-identity and geographic distribution of respondents to RO data from the Canadian Institute of Health Information. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize findings.
Results: Estimated response rate was 48% (289/598) with 254 respondents finishing the survey in full. Gender-identity and geographic distribution of respondents were similar to RO data (p = 0.86 and 0.77, respectively) with most respondents self-reporting as male (62%; 168/272) and practicing in Ontario (36%; 95/265). Most respondents were 35-44 years old (39%; 107/273), Christian (41%; 107/264), English-speaking as their first language (59%; 157/265), heterosexual (90%; 246/272), and Caucasian (55%; 150/273). Six percent (16/272) were gay, bisexual and/or asexual. Among Caucasian respondents, females comprised 49% (74/150) whereas only 20% of racialized respondents (21/105) were female. Of racialized ROs, the majority were Chinese and South Asian (25%; 70/273) with < 4% of respondents identifying (10/273) as Black, Southeast Asian, or First Nations. Four percent (10/270) of ROs have a disability. Respectful workplace culture and job satisfaction were rated as excellent or good in approximately 75% of respondents. In the past 5 years, 42% (106/252) reported experiencing discrimination while working as an RO and 8% experienced discrimination regularly; gender (26%), race/ethnicity (20%), age (15%), and childcare/pregnancy (9%) were the top-4 reasons cited. Of those reporting gender discrimination, 87% (43/49) were women. Workplace staff (68%; 124/183) and patients/family members (32%; 58/183) were the main sources of discriminatory behavior. Of the 58 respondents who experienced discrimination by a faculty colleague, 48% reported that the individual was in a position of power. Only 41% (107/260) of ROs report a formal mentorship program within their departments, and only 25% (64/260) report having at least one mentor.
Conclusion: Our survey’s findings provide the first sociodemographic diversity and workplace discrimination/harassment assessment of the Canadian RO workforce. These data will serve as an important baseline in determining which segments of the workforce may be over- or under-represented relative to the Canadian population and inform improvement strategies such as mentorship programs, diversity awareness initiatives, and institutional policies for reporting and decreasing workplace harassment and discrimination.