A unique approach to multidisciplinary cancer education.
BACKGROUND
Almost every health care worker, regardless of specialty, interacts with individuals who have histories of cancer. Some health care workers are relatively unfamiliar with the cancer experience and those who are familiar with it are interested in additional information.


METHODS
The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center Education Subcommittee designed a monthly educational program titled Cancer Connections: A Multidisciplinary Update. The goals of this program were to provide: 1) up-to-date information about cancer issues, 2) a better understanding of various team members' roles in caring for people with cancer, 3) insight into patients' responses to the diagnosis and treatment of their cancers, and 4) greater awareness of the resources available to cancer patients and their families. Each session consists of a "panel" of presenters: three healthcare professionals and a patient.


CONCLUSIONS
The success of this program is reflected in the regular high attendance and consistently positive evaluations of the participants.
Frost
M H
MH
Division of Medical Oncology, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Thompson
R M
RM
Quam
J A
JA
Bussman-Yeakel
L A
LA
Johnson
H B
HB
Kokal
J E
JE
See
J A
JA
D004517:Education, Professional; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms; D010348:Patient Care Team; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013663:Teaching