Radiation/Oncology Curriculum

Department: Internal Medicine

Faculty Coordinator: Donald Schwartz, M.D. / Jerry Barker, M.D.

Hospital: Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas

Periods offered: All

Length: 4 weeks

Max no. of residents: 1

First Day Contact: Radiation/Oncology faculty member you have chosen to rotate with

First Day Time: Contact faculty member a week prior to rotation

First Day Place: Contact faculty member a week prior to rotation

Requirements: 7:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday

Weekends: None

Vacation: 1 qweek either the first week or last week of the month

I. Course Description:

Resident will be working one-on-one with a Radiologist/Oncologist. At the most there will be one resident rotating with the team. The resident will be exposed to a wide variety of oncological disease and radiation thereapy modalities.

II. Course Goals and Objectives: (based on ACGME competencies for resident education)

Patient Care:

Residents are expected to provide care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease and at the end of life.

• Gather accurate, essential information from all sources, including medical interviews, physical examinations, medical records and diagnostic/therapeutic procedures. Examples: Residents will review the chart and take a careful history from patients prior to radiation therapy sessions.

• Make informed recommendations about preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic options and interventions based on clinical judgment, scientific evidence, and patient preference. Examples: Residents will learn when radiation therapy is indicated and which modalities are appropriate in a variety of different malignancies.

• Develop, negotiate and implement effective patient management plans and integration of patient care.

Residents are expected to demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and to apply their knowledge to patient care and education.

• Apply an open-minded, analytical approach to acquiring new knowledge.

• Access and critically evaluate current medical information and scientific evidence. Examples: Resident should demonstrate skills in accessing medical informaion regarding current radiation treatment recommendations for specific malignancies.

• Develop clinically applicable knowledge of the basic and clinical sciences that underlie the practice of radiation oncology. Examples: Resident should undersant the basic principles of physics pertaining to radiation treatment.

• Apply this knowledge to clinical problem-solving, clinical decision-making, and critical thinking. Examples: Resident will learn when radiation therapy is indicated.

Residents are expected to be able to use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care practices:

• Identify areas for improvement and implement strategies to enhance knowledge, skills, attitudes and processes of care. Examples: Resident when lacking knowledge should demonstrate an active pursuit of the literature to obtain the knowledge needed to evaluate and treat a patient.

• Analyze and evaluate practice experiences and implement strategies to continually improve the quality of patient practice. Examples: Demonstrate knowledge regarding the importance of assessing for adverse effects of radiation therapy and trying to provide symptom relief.

• Develop and maintain a willingness to learn from errors and use errors to improve the system or processes of care.

• Use information technology or other available methodologies to access and manage information, support patient care decisions and enhance both patient and physician education. Example: Residents will use the electronic health record during this rotation to review and document patient care interaction.

Interpersonal and Communication Skills:

Residents are expected to demonstrate interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families and other members of health care teams.

• Provide effective and professional consultation to other physicians and health care professionals and sustain therapeutic and ethically sound professional relationships with patients, their families, and colleagues. Examples: Resident should demonstrate ability to communicate with the consulting physician in a clear and effective manner regarding their patient.

• Use effective listening, nonverbal, questioning, and narrative skills to communicate the patients. Examples: Resident should demonstrate above skills in all circumstances surrounding the care of a patient with malignancy.

• Interact with consultants in a respectful, appropriate manner.

• Maintain comprehensive, timely, and legible medical records.

Residents are expected to demonstrate behaviors that reflect a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, an understanding and sensitivity to diversity and a responsible attitude toward their patients, their profession, and society.

• Demonstrate respect, compassion, integrity, and altruism in relationships with patients, families, and colleagues.

• Demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to the gender, age, culture, religion, sexual preference, socioeconomic status, beliefs, behaviors and disabilities of patients and professional colleagues.
  
  
• Adhere to principles of confidentiality, scientific/academic integrity, and informed consent.

• Recognize and identify deficiencies in peer performance.

Residents are expected to demonstrate both an understanding of the contexts and systems in which health care is provided, and the ability to apply this knowledge to improve and optimize health care.

• Understand, access and utilize the resources, providers and systems necessary to provide optimal care. Examples: Demonstrate timely consulting for psychological support, spiritual support, dietary support, and social support in the patients with malignancy.

• Understand the limitations and opportunities inherent in various practice types and delivery systems, and develop strategies to optimize care for the individual patient. Examples: Resident should be able to organize all of the consultants involved in the patient's care and deliver an efficient and effective treatment plan.

• Apply evidence-based, cost-conscious strategies to prevention, diagnosis, and disease management. Examples: Resident should demonstrate use of evidence-based medicine in screening patients for cancer.

• Collaborate with other members of the health care team to assist patients in dealing effectively with complex systems and to improve systematic processes of care.

III. Methods of instruction:

1. Didactic (schedule, topic, faculty)

Daily residents conference 12:00-1:00 p.m. - IM Training Room
Wednesday mornings 7:30-8:00 a.m. - Clinical Ground Rounds - IM Training Room
Wednesday afternoons 12:15-1:00 p.m. - Internal Medicine Update - Haggar Hall


2. Clinical