Ann Miner and Stephen Miller presented on the outcomes of accreditation.
Employee engagement is at the forefront of administrators’ minds. Engaging staff in quality improvement is important. Engaged team members impact outcomes, and the entire continuum of care. Quality improvement presents an opportunity to rediscover the fun and enjoyment in work; enables staff to connect in multidisciplinary teams, rediscovering what motivates them, and taking ownership of how they respond to the changing healthcare landscape; and prepare for challenges face in delivering best and safe practice.
SROA members began Day 2 of SROA’s 2022 Annual Meeting with a general session called, “Centering Diversity in Radiation Oncology: The What, The Why, and The How.” Dr. Parul Berry, Dr. Jerry Jaboin and Dr. Ivy Franco provided historical context about diversity and shared some of the personal challenges they have encountered as radiation oncologists from underrepresented minority groups. They offered numerous concrete suggestions on how radiation oncology departments and centers can diversify their radiation oncologist staff and improve their retention. Some suggestions include: giving less weight to test scores; exploring more deeply the reasons for lower test scores (for example, due to lack of financial resources to take test prep courses); and having standardized questions for all interviewees. The panelists also talked about ways to improve retention such as ensuring that the HR partners have the appropriate expertise for specific circumstances.