RANZCR: Radiation Oncology Trainee Matters

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) Inside News June 2020

With a rather disrupted start to the clinical year with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no doubt that many of the College-related activities for the year—including educational courses, Training and Assessment Reform (TAR) implementation roadshows, examinations, and the Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) among others—have been impacted, and any decisions on the resumption of these activities will be guided by the COVID-19 College Taskforce. Education and training opportunities at each individual training site are also affected to varying degrees, with working-from-home arrangements in place at some centres, and reduced face-to-face clinical exposure with the use of telehealth or phone reviews at others. This is a challenging period for various reasons for us all. Nonetheless, it is most important for all trainees to continue to stay safe and well.

During this period of uncertainty, some of the priorities for the Radiation Oncology Trainee Committee (ROTC) for 2020 will continue to progress, including collating and developing an updated radiation oncology fellowship database that will be accessible to all trainees, and conducting a survey in collaboration with the Australasian Brachytherapy Group (ABG) to better understand trainees’ experience in brachytherapy and ways to enhance the learning experience and opportunities in this respect.

Apart from being a conduit between trainees and the College, most of the ROTC members are assigned to a College sub-committee. Throughout this year, we will be providing trainees with insights into ROTC members’ involvement in these sub-committees— starting with an update from Dr Mollie Kain (NZ) from the Radiation Oncology Research Committee (RORC) in this edition of Trainee Matters. We hope that this will encourage more trainees to be involved in the ROTC and continue to contribute to College activities in the coming years!

Lastly, the ROTC will continue to communicate with all trainees through the ROTC representatives in your respective networks, as well as the monthly eNewsletter. Please feel free to reach out to us. The College also welcomes Senice So as the new Trainee Liaison Officer, please do not hesitate to contact Senice (senice.so@ranzcr.edu.au) to discuss any trainee-related issues or concerns in a confidential manner.

Dr Wee Loon Ong

Chair, ROTC 2020

Radiation Oncology Research Committee (RORC)

The Radiation Oncology Research Committee has the role of promoting research within the field of radiation oncology. There are currently a lot of exciting initiatives and I have found being the trainee representative is a great way to get involved.

There are two new research prizes to be aware of: the Indigenous health research prize which has been set up to encourage awareness of and research into Indigenous cancer care, and the Quality research prize which recognises research on quality improvement.

I am looking forward to reading the manuscripts provided by this year’s applicants and to consider further ways of stimulating research and awareness in Indigenous cancer care.

The ASM is always inspiring for budding and experienced researchers alike and the Radiation Oncology Research Committee is continuing to explore options with the ASM organisers to promote the work of previous grant recipients as there is significant potential to learn from their experiences in the research arena.

I would like to remind trainees about The Clinical Scientist Pathway as it is an excellent opportunity for those with a keen interest in research and I hope all new trainees consider it.

I also encourage trainees, Fellows and Educational Affiliates to check out the grants, prizes and awards available now to give yourself plenty of time to consider applying early next year.

To find out more more about The Clinical Scientist Pathway visit: www.aacb.asn.au/ professionaldevelopment/careers/ career-pathway

Dr Mollie Kain

Trainee Representative, RORC 2020