What kind of exam did I just take?!

[LasersPewPew]

What was that?! Its insulting to call it clinical radiation oncology. Anyone else feel they just got kicked in the gut for actually studying clinical radiation oncology?

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[mpdoc2]

What was that?! Its insulting to call it clinical radiation oncology. Anyone else feel they just got kicked in the gut for actually studying clinical radiation oncology?

Did they not ask radiation based questions?

 

[hot sauce]

I agree with the sentiment. A large number of the questions did not feel representative of clinical radiation oncology. I wish I could elaborate but given the NDA I do not think I can be any more specific.

 

[fiji128]

What was that?! Its insulting to call it clinical radiation oncology. Anyone else feel they just got kicked in the gut for actually studying clinical radiation oncology?

I agree with the above. There were at least 3 or 4 questions that belonged on the step 1 exam. I'm not even sure if the exam was even proof read carefully. The approach for whomever wrote the exam was definitely not, "What should a new rad onc doctor know to begin practice."

 

[Haybrant]

Basically academic attendings ride the backs of residents to make $ then give some ridiculous test to keep residents down. This material doesn't apply, never has. I also heard of one place forcing a manuscript published or they won't pay for the resident to attend astro. How pathetic are the leaders in our field, they won't pay the admission to astro. These **** manuscripts they put out to advance their career doesn't do anything for patients. What program is that and who is the chair, they should be called out

 

[thecarbonionangle]

Overall academic medicine is rotten. The culture has become more about using residents for cheap labour than truly educating them. This is true across the majority of the fields. Academic attendings demand resident coverage to have all their notes written, their phone calls made, essentially have a resident run their service. At some point residents across the country have to do something about this. We have to unionize and demand changes to medical education and the residency system. The people in power at the top in academic institutions are selfish baby boomers. This is one of the worst generations ever.

 

[mpdoc2]

Basically academic attendings ride the backs of residents to make $ then give some ridiculous test to keep residents down. This material doesn't apply, never has. I also heard of one place forcing a manuscript published or they won't pay for the resident to attend astro. How pathetic are the leaders in our field, they won't pay the admission to astro. These **** manuscripts they put out to advance their career doesn't do anything for patients. What program is that and who is the chair, they should be called out

Every program I know you have to publish a manuscript to attend Astro unless you're a senior resident.

 

[mpdoc2]

Overall academic medicine is rotten. The culture has become more about using residents for cheap labour than truly educating them. This is true across the majority of the fields. Academic attendings demand resident coverage to have all their notes written, their phone calls made, essentially have a resident run their service. At some point residents across the country have to do something about this. We have to unionize and demand changes to medical education and the residency system. The people in power at the top in academic institutions are selfish baby boomers. This is one of the worst generations ever.

I'd have to agree, for some reason the baby boomer generation of attendings are alot more money grubbing the generation before them. Unfortunately most of those are now retired or about to retire.

 

[thecarbonionangle]

The worst part is that the generation of baby boomers actively vote and participate to try to determine a future they will not partake in, while my generation sits idle with our backs bent allowing them to ride us.

 

[Haybrant]

Every program I know you have to publish a manuscript to attend Astro unless you're a senior resident.

Shouldn't be hard to see why they do this. But residents and med students think it's all for their benefit, that people are watching out for them. They break their backs to get everything done or feel bad when they can't meet some expectation. I heard the average # of publications in residency for current chairs is very very low if not 0. But they won't pay for astro for their residents. Shameful at the least.

Things aren't bad for us. We've awakened too, people understand now what's going on. Imagine those poor poor surgical residents - think they are special just bc they are surgeons complying with every demand day and night often for subpar training

 

[thecarbonionangle]

Chairs not paying for Astro is not uncommon at all. Many programs have a joke of a budget for academic endeavors but have requirements demanding publishing papers and submission to meetings. The number of non-academic scutwork things residents are responsible for in academic departments is increasing.

 

[Haybrant]

Chairs not paying for Astro is not uncommon at all. Many programs have a joke of a budget for academic endeavors but have requirements demanding publishing papers and submission to meetings. The number of non-academic scutwork things residents are responsible for in academic departments is increasing.

An attending presented to all the 1st and 2nd year residents claiming private practices care about your academic output alot now too. Obtw she had a couple retrospective/dosi projects available if someone was interested. No joke. It's all a hoax - $ infected our field and the minds of boomer attendings and chairs. I always wondered why med onc research was so far superior. It's not hard to see why on the other end now.

 

[Gfunk6]

An attending presented to all the 1st and 2nd year residents claiming private practices care about your academic output alot now too. Obtw she had a couple retrospective/dosi projects available if someone was interested. No joke. It's all a hoax

I certainly don't claim to represent most, all or even the average private practice but I could care less about an applicant's publications.




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[Irradi8or]

I just went through the job search process last year and have joined a top-notch PP group. My publications didn't seem to matter much during the process, other than my partners asking if I really wanted to join PP vs stay in academics. What seemed really important, though, was the practical clinical and non-clinical skills I could bring to the team.

 

[Haybrant]

I just went through the job search process last year and have joined a top-notch PP group. My publications didn't seem to matter much during the process, other than my partners asking if I really wanted to join PP vs stay in academics. What seemed really important, though, was the practical clinical and non-clinical skills I could bring to the team.

That's my exact point. Of course it doesn't matter. But they do and say anything to get residents into a state of mind that they have to grind hard all day and night for them. They guilt them into thinking this way. Some of these academic attendings are the lowest of the low but held in high esteem bc they are academic. I mean not paying for astro on those grounds is an abomination. They are all colluding along the same lines and believe they should be held in high regards. Shameful actions, shameful people

 

[Reaganite]

Agree with all the sentiments here. Baby boomer Rad Oncs are THE WORST. Can't draw worth ****, practice until their last breath, refuse to learn anything new, etc. etc. etc. I know several guys who force the dosimetrists to draw IMRT volumes because they don't have the faintest clue how to do it. I have personally taken the greatest pleasure in retiring at least 3 of them , and nothing would excite me more than to retire more. Any of you out there in an area where you think with the right guidance and the backing of some investors, you could get your own place going...send me a PM. Particularly looking for locations with empty vaults...

 

[medgator]

The three "A's" matter more to PP than publications/academic productivity

(Availability, Afability and Ability, some would say, in that order). Afability is hugely important, getting out to meet referring physicians, network etc early on when joining a PP job out of training. In the beginning, you can't be shy, a wallflower, working 9-3 when the patient loads are less etc

 

[thecarbonionangle]

The greed of academic departments is out of control. Attendings want to be bothered as little as possible in their daily lives and take less ownership of their patients while dumping the majority of the work on the residents. Residents are even cheaper than an experienced PA or a NP!!! I observed this on multiple of my rotations. Double to triple coverage at some place is not unheard of and not uncommon. Some attendings "demand" being covered by a resident to "be able to get things done". Their answer when they have to move a finger and maybe stay a little later when volume increases? first see how much more they can throw at their current residents and when they can't bare anymore, just expand the program. see many examples of expansions (UCLA, Emory etc. ).
With these thoughtful individuals as the leaders of our field, I am worried about the future. You have people in leadership who wrote letters attacking the guy who wrote an article raising a concern about out of control residency expansions. Well, guess what? the guy as right! These thoughtful leaders are still there riding in with the horsemen and beholding the end of our field. what is their credibility at this point?

You are totally right regarding the PP want a lot of research thing. I am starting to hear this more and more often now. It is the new angle.

 

[OTN]

I certainly don't claim to represent most, all or even the average private practice but I could care less about an applicant's publications.




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Another PP physician here who completely agrees. The 3 A's (mentioned above) are FAR, FAR more important than publications.

 

[Mandelin Rain]

I can't imagine that anyone (academic or PP) truly cares about the 3 crappy retrospective reviews of nothing you found some lowly journal to accept during residency. With dwindling protected lab jobs, they may not even care if you're bringing an RO-1 with you. They want you in the clinic. Private, employed, and academic medicine have pretty much come to unity. The goal is to make that cheddar. C.R.E.A.M. Not just our field. All of medicine.

It was the natural conclusion of physicians ceding the control of medicine to business people and bureaucrats.

 

[Pewl]

I agree with the general sentiment of this board. I was very academically productive during residency a few years ago with over 10 papers and twice as many posters. I'm now a co-director at a free standing multi-center PP while holding a clinical faculty appointment at a local rad onc residency program. I did like academics but I really didn't like the bureacracy and politics of the academic environment. It's much better out in PP where there's more autonomy.

That being said, though I was glad to write so many papers during residency none of that stuff really matters for PP. You need to be a good clinician who knows how to practice good rad onc. It's all about how you treat patients and other doctors as well as the staff around you. If you can treat others with respect and get along with everyone then you will get a lot of business, plain and simple.