Mentorship in a Medical Physics Residency Program: Setting Goals and Evaluating Results
B Keller1,2*, A Elzibak1,2, G Pang1,2, M Nielsen1, B Zhang1,2, S Breen1,2, A Hsu1, (1) Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Odette Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada (2) University of Toronto, Department of Radiation Oncology, Toronto, Canada
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PO-GePV-E-5 (Sunday, 7/10/2022) [Eastern Time (GMT-4)]
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Purpose: There is very little published literature on the mentorship of physics residents during their residencies. Most of the mentoring literature has focused on mentorship of graduate students or medical residents. Although there are similarities, the duration of a physics residency is shorter and the goals and focus are different. In that context, we established a formalized mentoring journal club for physics faculty who were interested in improving their mentorship skills with the aim of defining what mentorship should look like in a two year physics residency program.
Methods: Medical physics faculty members searched the literature on mentoring in the academic medical setting. The faculty were either currently involved in mentoring a physics resident or had an interest in physics residency mentorship. Our faculty work in a large academic teaching hospital and our residency program is accredited by CAMPEP. Our department typically has four to five residents at any given time.
Results: The focal point for mentorship during our two year residency program was identified as a signed agreement between the mentor and the resident establishing the mentorship goals and expectations over the two years. The mentorship items considered most relevant to focus on in the two years were: providing opportunities for the mentee to develop and practice leadership skills, exposing the mentee to areas where interactions and discussions with physicians take place to foster communication skills, preparing the resident to enter professional practice by preparing for their first job search, and to develop a rough five-year plan post residency.
Conclusion: We’ve established a mentorship journal club for physics staff and set out expectations for mentors and residents for the two year physics residency. We intend to track progress and obtain feedback from our residents and mentors to evaluate the effects of a more clearly defined mentorship.
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