Clinical training

During the Radiation Oncology Residency, your clinical training covers all areas of radiation oncology. You will participate in all aspects of care for patients receiving radiation therapy.

Each year, you will gain added responsibility in a graduated fashion. While your work remains under staff supervision in accordance with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations, you will begin a transition toward greater responsibility as you progress.

Rotation schedule

Rotation descriptions

Didactic training

• Core Lectures. A series of lectures are given covering a broad range of topics pertinent to the practice of radiation oncology. The largest focus is on disease, site specific lectures, and clinical case review. Additional topics include radiation safety, statistics, informatics, and principles of palliative care. Practice management topic lectures also cover financial principles of medical practice, health policy, and reimbursement models. Residents have access to an extensive medical library, numerous board prep material, and off-campus board prep courses in addition to this core lecture series.
• Physics. Incoming first-year residents have a two-week (two hours a day) physics orientation where they receive a general overview of radiation oncology terminology and technology. All PGY-2, PGY-3, and PGY-4 residents complete a 40-week radiation oncology physics course. Each week, there is a one-hour lecture and a one-hour problem session. Exams are given periodically, including the American College of Radiology In-Training and Raphex exams.
• Radiobiology. On alternating years, this consists of a sixteen-week (one hour a week) course led by Mayo Clinic faculty and an intensive two-week course led by a visiting nationally recognized radiation.
• Simulation. Residents are guided through a series of lectures, hands-on workshop stations, and simulations with manikins focused on brachytherapy skill mastery. A multidisciplinary team including radiation oncology consultants, radiation physicists, subspecialty trained MRI diagnostic radiologists, and radiation therapists teach trainees how to assemble brachytherapy applicators, learn about proper device placement, understand imaging considerations in various malignancies, fine-tune target and normal organ delineation, and master treatment planning.

Research training

As a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, you take part in the enrollment of patients on national clinical trials and on Mayo Clinic investigator-led initiatives. Interested residents have the opportunity to participate in clinical trial design and protocol development.

During training, you will be encouraged to complete an investigative project under faculty supervision. This may take the form of biological laboratory research, clinical research, or medical physics research. The results of such projects should be suitable for publication in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, presentation at scientific meetings, or both.

You may have up to nine months that can be scheduled for dedicated research.

You should explore research opportunities during your first year of residency. Completing the preliminary year on-site allows for the exploration of research opportunities during the first year of residency. There are many physicians and scientists at Mayo Clinic who are able to facilitate research projects and ideas. The program promotes and facilitates a relationship between residents and a variety of mentors within the field of radiation oncology and outside of the department. Most residents work on projects throughout their residency, with more intensive work during their research rotations. You will also have the opportunity through the Mayo Clinic Quality Academy to participate in quality improvement research. One project is required throughout residency, however, most residents complete multiple projects in quality improvement research.

An elective in the Department of Cancer Biology laboratories is also offered as a component of research training.

Conferences

Clinical conferences, formal courses, seminars, small discussion groups, journal clubs, and one-on-one instruction are all integral parts of the Radiation Oncology Residency. Regularly scheduled conferences include:

Mayo Clinic offers a multitude of other educational lectures each week.

Practice board exams

Practice oral board exams are offered at least once a year to residents in an effort to prepare them for oral board examinations.

Career development

Residents meet periodically with various faculty members and the residency program director to discuss their professional goals. Mayo recruits many of its staff physicians from its own training programs, so when you successfully complete the Radiation Oncology Residency, job opportunities may be available at one of Mayo's group practices. Mayo's vast alumni network is an asset and resource, providing opportunities in both academic and private practice.

Evaluation

To ensure that you acquire adequate knowledge and develop your technical skills, your performance is monitored carefully during the course of the Radiation Oncology Residency. You are formally evaluated by your supervising faculty member after each clinical rotation and on a quarterly basis by the allied health staff. In addition, trainees regularly evaluate the faculty, rotations and program to allow for continuous improvements through feedback.