title: Results of the 2005 to 2008 Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology surveys of chief residents in the United States: didactics and research experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the didactics and research experience reported by chief residents during their residency training.
  
  
  METHODS
  During the academic years 2005 to 2006, 2006 to 2007, and 2007 to 2008, the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) conducted a nationwide survey of all radiation oncology chief residents in the United States. Chi-square statistic was used to assess for changes in didactics and research experience over time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the years surveyed, an increasing percentage of programs offered curriculum-based didactics in clinical oncology (P=0.042), with a similar trend of borderline significance observed in biostatistics (P = 0.056). Each year, the majority of programs offered >40 hours of curriculum-based training in clinical oncology and physics, >20 hours in radiobiology, and 10 hours or fewer in biostatistics. 11% to 13% of residents reported having no full-time equivalent radiation biologists affiliated with their training program. Less than 64% of programs incorporated mock oral boards into their training. An increasing percentage of programs evaluated residents in a "360 degree" manner, with a trend to significance (P=0.073). Over 80% of programs required resident participation in research activities and allocated dedicated elective research time, typically 4 months or longer. Though the vast majority of programs make clinical research activities available to interested residents, borderline significance (P = 0.051) was observed for a decreasing percentage of such programs during the years analyzed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Trends in didactics and research experience over three years are documented to allow residents and program directors to assess their residency training.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Wisconsin Comprehensive Cancer Center, Madison, WI 53792, USA. gondi@humonc.wisc.edu
authors.forename: Vinai
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gondi
authors.forename: Johnny Ray
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: Siavash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jabbari
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keam
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: de Amorim Bernstein
authors.forename: Luqman K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Dad
authors.forename: Linna
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Matthew M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Poppe
authors.forename: Jonathan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Strauss
authors.forename: Casey T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Chollet
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003479:Curriculum / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D018787:Radiation Oncology / Q000193:education*; D012106:Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching; D014481:United States