Oncology trainees are “in distress about their career prospects” amid intensifying workforce shortages and clinical demands, MOGA’s chair says.

The society’s ASM last week also heard concerns about the structure of the training program, with claims that trainees need more than the currently required 24 months in core training.

MOGA chair Associate Professor Melissa Eastgate said the meeting had come at a time of acute and increasing pressure in the specialty, warning many oncologists were still recovering from the added stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know that all of us are under pressure and it feels like it’s ever increasing pressure,” said Associate Professor Eastgate, the depute director of medical oncology at the Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital.

“We had a wellbeing session where there was a lot of discussion about increasing pressure in our clinics, the increasing numbers of patients and complexity and treatments.”

“We’re under increasing budgetary and fiscal constraints, and also we are starting to see if there are some looming workforce shortages on the horizon, and we certainly haven’t filled all of our training roles as an example.”

She said this had contributed to a sense of distress among trainees and early career fellows about their career prospects.

“I think some of this also is we’re still seeing fallout from COVID as well, with some juniors taking extra time out.”

Reforms needed to training program

Held in Sydney, the conference heard concerns from a number of senior oncologists that the current structure of the training program may leave trainees without sufficient clinical experience to meet the increasingly high demands of consultant practice.

At present, the program requires 24 months of ‘core training’ in an accredited clinical training position, with a further 12 months of ‘non-core training’ which can be taken in research, a laboratory, or overseas unless trainees decide on an additional year of clinical training.

Delegates led by immediate past-MOGA chair Dr Deme Karikios said this could leave some trainees with inadequate clinical experience, saying the society had asked the RACP to require all oncology trainees complete a full three years of core training.

But this argument had been rejected by the college’s powerful education committee on the grounds that it would prolong training unnecessarily, Dr Karikios said.

“The dial has moved to suggest we should go to three years of core training in oncology and I think we are the best group of people to decide how to train medical oncologists,” he said.

“I suggest we protest strongly.”