TOPS (Trainees in Oncology Programs): A professional development curriculum for oncology fellows.

Abstract

e21016 Background: Professional development is an integral component of successful oncology training; oncology fellows across all disciplines need guidance on essential non-clinical topics that are critical to long term career satisfaction. The purpose of this study is to evaluate an interdisciplinary career development curriculum for fellows in oncology specialties: gynecologic oncology, surgical oncology and hematology/medical oncology. The objectives for the curriculum are: (1) construct a multidisciplinary network to create collaboration across all oncology fellowship programs, (2) integrate non-clinical topics important for oncology trainee’s professional development and (3) incorporate fellow evaluation of the curriculum. Methods: The TOPS program began in December 2023 and all fellows in the hematology/medical oncology, gynecologic oncology and surgical oncology programs at a single academic cancer center participated. Fellows completed a survey bi-annually that included a self-assessment of personal strengths within four areas: professional development, wellness, scholarly activity and education. The survey also included career interests and feedback about the program. Program directors developed interactive quarterly events, incorporating fellow interests, self-perceived inadequacies, and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements. The curriculum is designed to focus on 8 different topic areas over the course of the 2-year duration. Results: All fellows (12/12) completed the baseline survey in 2023. For professional development, fellows reported the most competence with communication skills and the least competence with negotiating contracts. For scholarly activity, fellows felt most competence with performing quality improvement activities and least competence in designing research protocols. For wellness, fellows felt the most competence with mentorship and least competence with self-care. Finally, for education, fellows felt most competence with giving feedback and least competence with leading teams and projects. With this feedback in mind, sessions have included: (1) fellowship and leadership networking, (2) introduction to scholarly activity, (3) well-being: creating your priorities, time management, coping with change and challenges, and (4) navigating your upcoming oncology job search. Conclusions: The TOPS program is an innovative, multidisciplinary program that provides critical support for oncology trainees and meets several of the non-clinical ACGME required program components. This program is unique in its collaboration amongst various oncology specialties, allowing for increased mentorship and career guidance. The program continues to incorporate rolling feedback from fellows, and hopes to incorporate skills needed for fellows to have successful, sustainable careers.