Cultivating Interest in Oncology Through a Medical Student Oncology Society

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive analysis is to describe a formal method to foster interest in oncology among medical students through a Student Oncology Society (SOS). The SOS is a student-run multidisciplinary interest group that offers oncology-related events to interested medical students at the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM). We employed a student survey to document the impact of the SOS on student interest in careers in oncology and students' perceived accessibility of mentors in oncology at our institution. All 35 students who attended the event reported that they found the discussion panels "valuable" or "somewhat valuable." A minority of students reported that student and faculty were "somewhat accessible" or "very accessible." At the end of the survey, 37 % of the students reported that a discussion of career paths of various physicians or a student/resident panel on oncology would be beneficial. By giving students an opportunity to learn about the different medical and surgical specialties within oncology, the SOS is able to cultivate early interest and understanding of the field of oncology among pre-clinical medical students. Further work must be done to connect medical students to faculty mentors in oncology. Although this short report provides a model for other medical schools to begin their own student oncology interest groups, further rigorous evaluation of pre-clinical oncology education initiatives are necessary in order to document their long-term impact on medical education.

Otolaryngology interest groups: A potential solution to the residency match crisis

“…Specifically, we can offer improved exposure of Oto‐HNS to medical students as a means to introduce students to a specialty that has a limited role within the current UME. Within the literature, interest groups have provided introductions to medical specialties, opening doors for increased medical student contact with faculty and resident mentors, research opportunities, and clinical electives . Yet, this concept had not been explored within Oto‐HNS.…”

“…Extracurricular activities, such as medical student interest groups, have been shown to cultivate early interest and understanding in medicine variety of medical specialties . Medical students gain exposure to nuances of specialties that they typically do not get within their curriculum.…”

“…Medical students gain exposure to nuances of specialties that they typically do not get within their curriculum. These other specialties in which interest groups are more accepted, have physician involvement, provide shadowing opportunities, and present interesting cases of specialty‐specific clinical problems . The opportunities these groups provide ultimately offer exposure to a specialty that will potentially spark an interest in some students.…”

“…Extracurricular activities, such as medical student interest groups, have been shown to cultivate early interest and understanding in medicine variety of medical specialties. [5][6][7][8] Medical students gain exposure to nuances of specialties that they typically do not get within their curriculum. These other specialties in which interest groups are more accepted, have physician involvement, provide shadowing opportunities, and present interesting cases of specialty-specific clinical problems.…”

“…These other specialties in which interest groups are more accepted, have physician involvement, provide shadowing opportunities, and present interesting cases of specialty-specific clinical problems. 7,8 The opportunities these groups provide ultimately offer exposure to a specialty that will potentially spark an interest in some students. Yet, while this model of providing student exposure to specialty information outside of the traditional curriculum is well-accepted, there is no literature regarding the impact of Oto-HNS interest groups on students or residents.…”