MO-DE-BRA-02: From Teaching to Learning: Systems-Based-Practice and Practice-Based-Learning Innovations in Medical Physics Education Programs
Purpose: The increasing complexity in the field of radiation medicine and concomitant rise in patient safety concerns call for enhanced systems-level training for future medical physicists and thus commensurate innovations in existing educational program curricula. In this work we report on the introduction of three learning opportunities to augment medical physics educational programs towards building systems-based practice and practice-based learning competencies. Methods: All initiatives were introduced for senior -level graduate students and physics residents in an institution with a newly established medical-physics graduate program and therapeutic-physics residency program. The first, centered on incident learning, was based on a spreadsheet tool that incorporated the reporting structure of the Radiation Oncology-incident Learning System (ROILS), included 120 narratives of published incidents and enabled inter-rater variability calculations. The second, centered on best-practices, was a zero-credit seminar course, where students summarized select presentations from the AAPM virtual library on a weekly basis and moderated class discussions using a point/counterpoint approach. Presentation styles were critiqued. The third; centered on learning-by-teaching, required physics residents to regularly explain fundamental concepts in radiological physics from standard textbooks to board certified physics faculty members. Results: Use of the incident-learning system spreadsheet provided a platform to recast known accidents into the framework of ROILS, thereby increasing awareness of factors contributing to unsafe practice and appreciation for inter-rater variability. The seminar course enhanced awareness of best practices, the effectiveness of presentation styles and encouraged critical thinking. The learn-by-teaching rotation allowed residents to stay abreast of and deepen their knowledge of relevant subjects. Conclusion: The incorporation of systems-driven initiatives broadens comprehension of the wider systems context of medical physics, enhances awareness of resources for innovation, communication and sustained learning while maintaining a metric-driven focus on patient safety within the formative phase of student careers. The initiatives were well-received, feasible, and utilized available or shared-resources translatable across educational programs.