If you could turn back the hands of time...

[LightHouse123]

Help!

I am about to start radiation oncology residency in a few weeks as a PGY2. I am thrilled and excited.

My goal is to be very effective in my studies from the get go and study both from my patients and from a effective/efficient resources.

If you guys could turn back the hands of time, and knowing what you know now, what books/resources should be part of my core study plan. Which area should I emphasize mastery of?

I plan to read daily for 40min (which is reasonable) outside of the background work that I have to do for the patients I see daily.

I have heard about the ASTRO refresher audios, Perez and Brady, Rad Onc Q & A book by Hristov/Lin, etc.

PS: I am not trying to be a gunner or burn myself out. I just want to reach my full potential with good utilization of my time. I have seen PGY3s at different institutions and some have been extremely impressive, while others have seemed subpar. I would rather be in the former group if I can help it.

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[2014XRT]

this will easily be the most useful book you could buy - Essentials of Clinical Radiation Oncology

https://www.amazon. (remove space) com/Essentials-Clinical-Radiation-Oncology-Matthew/dp/082616854X

 

[medgator]

Figure out your plans post-residency sooner rather than later while you trying to master the basics. Figure out whether that is pp or academics and which part of the country you'd like to end up in

 

[PointA]

I read Perez a lot as a first year resident but began to realize it was too dense and inefficient for rapid learning in my opinion. You may have to find what works for you.

Other good resources: NCCN guidelines, rad onc wikibooks, headneckbrainspine (free), econtour (free), imaios (subscription), radoncquestions (subscription).

Head and neck was the most challenging disease site for me so don't underestimate it. Also if you're interested in research, start planting seeds as early as possible because projects always take at least twice as long as expected.

 

[Doctorer]

Man, I thought this was going to be a different question.

 

[Haybrant]

For head and neck start w the Anantomy. Learn that really well. Then start learning the literature. Anatomy is critical there when trying to learn the disease lit

 

[Radiator20]

Try to find the fundamental principles that underlie radiotherapy and oncologic management in general. With them, individual diseases can be put in a framework and you can ask intelligent questions about why we do the things we do. Without them, it's just arbitrary facts. Also, don't worry too much about trying to understand a disease site until you've done it.

 

[thaddeus]

In retrospect, I think I didn't spend nearly enough time looking at NCCN. The guidelines themselves are important, of course, but some of the discussion sections are very rich and provide a nice summary of the data. It also gives a broader (and less pro-radiation) perspective than the rad onc books, which I think is valuable in practice.

 

[seper]

As it's been previously suggested on this board, Evicore manual is a pretty good one to have on your desk.

 

[Mandelin Rain]

White Coat Investor. If you're reading 40 minutes a day, it will take you 2-3 days and may save you hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars. High-yield stuff there. Seriously, bang it out.

 

[psy3]

White Coat Investor. If you're reading 40 minutes a day, it will take you 2-3 days and may save you hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars. High-yield stuff there. Seriously, bang it out.

Max out 403b and Roth during residency???? High-yield, but so hard to stick to the financial discipline
Anyway, back to the OP, I also found ARRO cases to be quite helpful, short but very focused on work-up, treatment decisions, planning.
Also, try to get recent oral board review slides from various sources, not just your home program. Putting those resources together for each site and updating those through your residency will make board preparation a lot easier at the end.

 

[Chartreuse Wombat]

Help!

I am about to start radiation oncology residency in a few weeks as a PGY2. I am thrilled and excited.

My goal is to be very effective in my studies from the get go and study both from my patients and from a effective/efficient resources.

If you guys could turn back the hands of time, and knowing what you know now, what books/resources should be part of my core study plan. Which area should I emphasize mastery of?

I plan to read daily for 40min (which is reasonable) outside of the background work that I have to do for the patients I see daily.

I have heard about the ASTRO refresher audios, Perez and Brady, Rad Onc Q & A book by Hristov/Lin, etc.

PS: I am not trying to be a gunner or burn myself out. I just want to reach my full potential with good utilization of my time. I have seen PGY3s at different institutions and some have been extremely impressive, while others have seemed subpar. I would rather be in the former group if I can help it.

Two evidence-based strategies for learning have stood the test of time in every context that they has been studied. Distributed practice and retrieval practice. Distributed practice is reading/studying in small doses on a consistent basis which you have already committed to. The other more powerful tool is retrieval practice which is a euphemism for testing. You should test yourself frequently; examples include asking/answering questions to yourself. It helps to say the answer out loud so that you get auditory and verbal information. The content that you interact with (assuming that it is valid and has been peer reviewed) is less important than how you interact with it. Keep reading (I would suggest 10 hours a week) and test yourself frequently. Good luck.

 

[seper]

The only problem is that spending $1K to have fun when you're 27 goes a lot further than 10K at 37. I'd do it in heartbeat again.

 

[Mandelin Rain]

The only problem is that spending $1K to have fun when you're 27 goes a lot further than 10K at 37. I'd do it in heartbeat again.

Meh. It's not all about denying yourself 1k in fun at 27, though there is some spend shaming that takes place.

If all you take away from the book is...

1. Get a disability insurance policy now!
2. Never buy whole life insurance; no matter what your incredibly nice "financial planner" at Northwestern Mutual says.
3. Refinance your student loans immediately unless you're planning on forgiveness.
4. Avoid fees at all costs. Low cost index funds vs actively managed funds. Avoid a planner who charges AUM. Get a fiduciary.
5. Don't buy a million dollar house/new Tesla/yacht/etc... right out of residency.
6. Employer match is part of your salary. Take it.

...you've probably saved a few hundred dollars. In fact, I just did it for you.

 

[LightHouse123]

Thank you all so much for the fantastic insights!!!

Very much appreciated!