Piloting virtual mentorship: Evaluating acceptability and influence on wellness and professional identity in medical oncology (MO).

Authors

null

Andrea S. Fung

Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, Kingston, ON, Canada

Andrea S. Fung , Lorelli Nowell , Arfan R. Afzal , Maclean Harvey Thiessen , Alexi Campbell , Desiree Hao

Organizations

Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, Kingston, ON, Canada, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada, Health Sciences Center University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada, Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists, Ottawa, ON, Canada, Department of Medical Oncology, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

Research Funding

No funding received

Background: Despite extensive literature on the value of mentorship in academic medicine, little evidence exists to inform mentorship practices in MO. In 2021, the Canadian Association of Medical Oncologists (CAMO) piloted a national, 6-month virtual mentorship program consisting of 2 group mentoring events and additional 1-on-1 mentoring activities, to better support the needs of MO trainees. Feedback was obtained from participants to gain insight into how virtual mentorship might impact physician wellness and formation of professional identity, and to inform future iterations of CAMO’s virtual mentorship strategy. Methods: All Canadian MO residents/fellows were invited to participate in the program. Electronic surveys were completed by participants at baseline, after each group event, and at program completion. Surveys evaluated the program content and format, and used validated questionnaires for evaluating physician wellness/burnout (Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index [SPFI]), and professional identity (Macleod Clark Professional Identity Scale [MCPIS]). Cohort characteristics and survey responses were summarized using descriptive statistics. Procedures for survey data collection and analysis were ethics approved. Results: At baseline, respondents (n = 38) were predominantly female (63%), and < 35 years (76%). 50% were married. On average, 78% of respondents ranked the virtual group mentoring events as meeting expectations. Program strengths identified by participants included meeting mentors outside of their own centre, meeting other trainees from across the country, and learning more about work-life balance/physician wellness. The main critique was insufficient time for interaction. Of the 34 MCPIS respondents, 94% were pleased to belong to the profession of MO, 91% identified positively with members of their profession and 77% felt like a member of the profession themselves. The average score on the SPFI scale was 2.73±0.71 (n = 34). Although 85% of respondents found their work meaningful, 71% satisfying, and 50% felt they were contributing professionally in valued ways, only 38% met criteria for professional fulfilment (score ≥3.00). 27% met criteria for burnout (score ≥1.33), 15% found their work physically exhausting and 9% found their work emotionally exhausting. Conclusions: CAMO’s pilot virtual mentorship program highlights that technology can be successfully leveraged to facilitate mentoring. The majority of MO trainees identified positively with their profession, yet only 38% reached the threshold for professional fulfillment and nearly a third met criteria for burnout. Longitudinal follow-up among mentored trainees is needed to provide insight into whether mentorship may influence physician wellness and professional identity over time.

Disclaimer

This material on this page is ©2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology, all rights reserved. Licensing available upon request. For more information, please contact licensing@asco.org

Abstract Details

Meeting

2022 ASCO Annual Meeting

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Professional Development and Education Advances

Track

Medical Education and Professional Development

Sub Track

Clinician Burnout and Wellness

Citation

J Clin Oncol 40, 2022 (suppl 16; abstr 11022)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2022.40.16_suppl.11022

Abstract #

11022

Poster Bd #

213

Abstract Disclosures

Similar Abstracts

Abstract

2022 ASCO Annual Meeting

Burnout among early-career medical oncologists: A single-institution experience.

First Author: Anmol Singh

Abstract

2024 ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Symposium

Burnout among GU oncologists and associated factors: BUCARE survey.

First Author: Alisher Kahharov