Radiation Oncology Residency

INTERVIEW INFORMATION:

Interviews are scheduled in September and October. Your interview will include:

• Program overview
• Research overview
• Faculty interviews
• Tour of the facilities
• Lunch with current fellows

Hotel accommodations are not provided. However, transportation from your hotel will be provided to and from campus on your interview date.

INTERNAL MEDICAL GRADUATE REQUIREMENTS:

Due to the large number of highly qualified applicants, only a small number of international medical graduates are granted interviews for the Hematology and Oncology fellowship.

For International Medical Graduates we require:

• You must have a valid ECFMG certificate.
• We offer a J1 Visa only. Please do not submit an application to our program if you require an (H) visa.
• Graduation from ACGME accredited Internal Medicine Residency within the last 5 years.

SALARY INFORMATION:

In addition to a base salary, residents participating in the disability and group life insurance programs provided through GME currently receive an additional $600 per year for disability and life insurance benefits as shown above in Column 3.

For more resident salary information, please see the GME Policy #210.

LEAVE TIME:

• Annual/Vacation: Residents may take up to three weeks of annual leave per year. Annual leave is not accumulated from year to year. Residents do not receive pay for unused annual leave.
• Educational Leave: Educational leave can be taken during fellowship with approval from the Program Director.
• Sick Leave: Fellows accumulate there weeks of sick leave per year. Sick leave is non-cumulative from year to year. Residents are not paid for unused sick leave.
• Parental Leave: Parental leave is available to residents for the birth or adoption of a child. Sick leave and annual leave may be used in order for the resident’s salary to continue. Additional time is permitted with the approval of the Program Director and will be leave without pay. Due to ASCO/ASH rules, time off may delay completion of the fellowship.

AFFILIATE TRAINING FACILITIES:

• Memphis VA Medical Center
• Methodist University Hospital
• Regional One Health
• St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

FRINGE BENEFITS:

• Educational Stipend – $1,500 is provided each year for attendance at one of the following conferences: ASCO, ASH, NCCN, San Antonio – Breast Cancer, BMT Tandem Meeting. Additionally, you will be awarded a one-time only presentation scholarship of $500 if you are presenting a poster or abstract at a national conference.
• Health Insurance – as provided by UTHSC
• Malpractice and Disability Insurance – covered by the State of TN
• Lab Coats – 4 coats are provided by GME
• Computer Literature Searches and Photocopying
• Access to Recreational Facilities
• Use of Computer Education Resource Center
• A Tennessee medical license is not required for fellowship-related activities. An institutional permit covers fellows.

CURRICULUM AND TRAINING:

• The training program is 4 years or 48 months. The resident will engage in 42 months of clinical rotations at the primary site. This will meet the minimum 36-month requirement by the ACGME. There will be a one-month rotation in pediatrics to meet the pediatric requirements, which will occur at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. There is a three-month elective block where one of the months during this block is used for the pediatric rotation. The resident can take any elective they see fit to augment their training at that point. Elective rotations are approved by the program director no less than three months in advance. The three-month research block will be done in coordination with our radiobiology faculty. Clinical research can be completed in this time but sufficient time must be dedicated to understanding bench research as it relates to clinical care.
• Minimum numbers of cases simulated and treated are required for graduation. A detailed case log must be maintained by each resident physician through the American Board of Radiology, and will be reviewed with the Program Director in the bi-annual meeting. ACGME requires Radiation Oncology residents to use the ACGME electronic case log system.
• ACGME Mandated Patient Case Requirements:
  • External Beam Irradiation Requirements
    • A minimum of 450 over the four years of residency
    • A resident should not treat more than 250 patients with external beam irradiation in any one year.
    • Only cases for which the resident has primary responsibility performing the simulation may be counted. In certain circumstances, the procedures in radiation
  • Brachytherapy Case Requirements:
    • Must perform no fewer than 5 interstitial implants
    • Must perform no fewer than fifteen intracavitary implants
  • Radio-Immunotherapy and Radiopharmaceuticals Requirements:
    • Must participate in the administration of no fewer than six (6) procedures using radio-immunotherapy, other targeted therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, or unsealed radioactive sources.
  • Pediatric Case Requirements:
    • Must treat at least 12 pediatric patients of whom a minimum of nine have solid tumors
  • Stereotactic Radiosurgery:
    • Must participate in the treatment planning and administration of stereotactic radiosurgery in at least ten patients.