Educational Experience
The educational program is an important part of the residency program. Residents are excused from clinic duties to attend conferences and lectures.
Radiation Oncology Conferences and Lectures
Residents attend on average 3-4 department conferences or lectures per week, typically Tues. afternoon clinical lecture, Wed. morning chart rounds, and Thurs. afternoon case discussion. In addition, residents also attend a physics lecture once a week, monthly Journal Club, monthly radiobiology lecture, and quarterly M & M conference. Faculty members attend all conferences and are involved in the majority of the department's educational events. The Chief Resident is responsible for the didactic conference schedule and each resident is assigned to give a didactic presentation an average of three times per year. Each faculty member is also assigned to give didactic lectures, the topic(s) of their lectures depend on which disease sites they are involved with on their service. Generally each faculty member gives 1-2 lectures each year. In addition, visiting professors are brought in each year from a variety of institutions around the country to give lectures on topics of interest.
Interdepartmental Conferences and Lectures
In addition to departmental conferences and lectures, residents are expected to also attend the Huntsman Cancer Institute Lecture Series and any grand rounds lectures when the topic is pertinent to oncology. Residents are excused from department conference, when applicable, to attend these grand rounds lectures.
Multidisciplinary Treatment Planning Conferences (Tumor Boards)Tumor board conferences provide residents with an exceptional experience in multidisciplinary management, which is increasingly important in cancer care. All residents are required to attend pediatric and breast tumor boards as well as those tumor boards relevant to their specific clinical rotation. Residents are also required to attend tumor boards related to other services, providing they do not conflict with their service activities.
Examinations
Each year the residents are required to take the In-Training Examination administered through the American College of Radiology. This comprehensive exam covers clinical oncology, radiation physics, and radiobiology and is intended to prepare residents for the written board examinations. The results of the exam are used as a performance measure. They also help the program and residents to identify areas where improvement may be needed in basic science or clinical knowledge.
The Raphex exam is also given annually to help residents assess the knowledge they have gained from the Physics course.