"A funny thing about being a program director is that you feel isolated," says Thomas H. Davis, MD, Chair of ASCO's Oncology Training Programs Subcommittee. Dr. Davis ought to know. While the average program director tenure is 5 years, he has directed the hematology-oncology training program at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center since 1997. "Program directors are reading journals and reports of clinical trials every day, but there is very little in the medical literature about the day-to-day stuff we do in training." Dr. Davis comments.

Enter the ASCO Oncology Training Program Directors' Retreat, a 1-day meeting that combines educational sessions with that most important antidote for isolation-networking. Seventy-seven individuals participated in the October 2010 retreat, held at ASCO headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. The subcommittee plans the retreat, designed for directors and associate directors of hematology, oncology, and combined hem-onc fellowship training programs.

Dr. Davis says that if he had to describe the purpose of the retreat in one line, it would be to "recharge your program director battery."

New ACGME Duty-Hour Rules Discussed

Sparking a lot of interest and discussion at the recent retreat was a presentation about the responsibilities of the Residency Review Committee (RRC) and the review processes used to accredit training programs. RRC member Sara J. Grethlein, MD, Professor of Hematology and Oncology at the State University of New York Update Medical University, presented the session.

Attendees at the retreat particularly appreciated her discussion of the new work-hour requirements that the Accreditation Committee for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is putting into effect July 1, according to Dr. Davis, noting that the biggest change is limiting first-year residents to 16-hour shifts.

"It was useful to hear her perspective on the process the ACGME used in adopting the new hour rules," Dr. Davis comments. "The rules put tighter protections on the trainees who are most vulnerable to being abused and the least able to handle fatigue and performance challenges. We were also comforted to learn that the rules for work hours will no longer be 'one size fits all.' There will be more laxity for senior trainees-we won't have to boot them out [when their shift ends] in the middle of taking care of a sick patient."

Best Practices: Chemotherapy Competency Protocol Shared

While part of the retreat agenda addressed big-picture issues such as the ACGME requirements, implications of national health-care reform for training programs, and employment law as it applies to graduate medical education, other parts dealt with nuts-and-bolts issues in directing a training program.

For example, Frances Collichio, MD, the Associate Program Director at the University of North Carolina, shared her program's teaching methods, educational materials, and documentation process for teaching and verifying competency in the administration of chemotherapy. "Chemotherapy administration is a specific skill that needs a lot a safeguards, and Dr. Collicihio's program has organized this particularly well," Dr. Davis notes.

Learning from Others

Meeting with other program directors is a side benefit of the retreat, but in truth it may be the most important aspect. "Everyone comes with something they do very well, and in the question-and-answer sessions you pick up ideas from others," Dr. Davis points out. "It's also helpful to hear about the trials and tribulations of others who have the same responsibilities you do. It's a great opportunity for program directors to learn about new best practices."

The Oncology Training Programs Subcommittee also plans two other networking and learning events for directors-a breakfast meeting and a special session offered annually at the ASCO Annual Meeting. ■

© 2011. American Society of Clinical Oncology. All rights reserved.