Oral Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2024

Impact of a national oncology mentorship program on burnout and professional fulfilment in medical oncology (#122)

Jia (Jenny) Liu 1 2 3 , Udit Nindra 4 5 6 , Rhiannon Mellor 3 7 8 , Gowri Shivasabesan 1 , Bethan Richards 9
  1. St Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, Darlinghurst, NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia
  2. St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
  3. Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW
  4. Department of Medical Oncology, Liverpool Hospital, Liverpool, NSW, Australia
  5. School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW
  6. Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, NSW
  7. Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
  8. School of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW
  9. Department of Rheumatology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, NSW

Background: Burnout and low professional fulfilment is noted amongst the medical oncology workforce globally. Mentorship has a positive influence on wellbeing and career planning. The Australian National Oncology Mentorship Program (NOMP23) endorsed by the Medical Oncology Group of Australia (MOGA) (www.moga.org.au/NOMP) was designed to evaluate the impact of a 1-year mentorship program on professional fulfilment and burnout.

Methods: NOMP23 was a single arm prospective cohort study which recruited oncology trainees (mentees) and consultants (mentors) using MOGA emails and snowballing. Participants completed baseline and end of program surveys. Mentee/mentor pairs were orientated to the program virtually and met at least 3 times throughout 2023. The primary outcome was improvement in professional fulfilment using the Stanford Professional Fulfilment Index (SPFI). Key secondary outcomes were changes in: burnout on the Maslach Burnout Index (MBI); anxiety/depression (PHQ4); and regret towards oncology as a career choice.

Results: A total of 112 participants enrolled -86 (77%) completed the baseline and 63 (56%) completed the end of program survey. Demographics have been previously reported.1 At baseline, 82% of mentees and 77% of mentors were classified as burnt out which reduced to 57% and 51% at the conclusion of NOMP23, a reduction of 25% and 26%  respectively (p<0.01). Baseline professional fulfilment improved from 0% to 21% in mentees, and from 5% to 34% in mentors (p<0.01). Significant reduction in feelings of regret towards oncology as a profession was seen for mentees and mentors between baseline and the conclusion of NOMP23 (p<0.01) but there were no changes in rates of anxiety or depression. 

Conclusions: NOMP23 demonstrated that a centrally coordinated, low-cost mentorship program is feasible and may reduce burnout and improve professional fulfilment. Mentorship programs, alongside multifactorial institutional, state-based, and national interventions to improve wellbeing, can help ensure a sustainable oncology workforce.

 

 

  1. Nindra et al, (2024) JCO Oncology Practice 20(4):549-557