Training Courses
Introduction
Our resident training course is divided into two categories. One is designed for young physicians and surgeons who have 3-5 years of clinical experience to allow generalists to specialize in clinical oncology. Those in this course are simply called residents. Their training period is 3 years. We accept about 12 new residents a year. A second more advanced two-year course is designed to produce future leaders of specific fields. Up to 6 medical doctors with 5-10 years clinical experience enter this program every year, and are called senior residents.
In July 1992, when The National Cancer Center Hospital East (NCCHE) was opened, the resident training course was commenced with 8 young physicians and surgeons. Although there were many difficulties and problems in the beginning, they continued studying as well as carrying out the daily clinical work in the hospital. Our training systems has developed in close cooperation with staff members. At the first resident graduation in 1995, NCCHE introduced the senior-resident system and increased the number of residents from 8 to 12. With establishing a clinical and academic reputation, NCCHE has attracted quite a few voluntary medical trainees including doctors, nurses and technicians. Paticularly, the number of training doctors has rapidly inceased in recent years.
Routine Activities
The resident curricula at NCCHE consists of two parts, i.e. special and rotating courses. For the initial 6 month period, residents are trained in disease- or therapy-specific units (q.v. index page) of their choice in order to acquire the skills they need. After this, they move to the other clinical units (rotating course) for one or one and a half years to obtain a wide range of basic knowledge, and to learn the techniques of clinical oncology. After concluding the rotating course, they return to their chosen speciality to graduate as medical or surgical oncologists.
Trainees on the senior resident course spend the first year as physicians or surgeons of specific clinical units. The training program is targeted more to particular organs, diagnostics and/or therapeutics. They work as coordinators of residents, whom they support in clinical practice. The second year is devoted to basic or clinical research. Staff of the Research Institute and clinical laboratories support residents in their projects at their request.
Voluntary trainees are divided into two groups: those with guaranteed funding from a domestic or international project, and others. Various training courses are available for voluntary trainees, although the training period is limited to less than a year for any one major field.
New Developments
We have overcome many of the difficulties in the beginning of NCCHE, and the training system has improved year by year. More than 25 articles have been published in English journals by residents or trainees under the supervision of staff members in the Hospital and/or Research Institute in 1998.
Statistics
| Resident | S. resident | Voluntary trainee | Total |
||||
| M.D. | Nurse | Technician | Others | ||||
| 1992 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 1993 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 28 |
| 1994 | 23 | 0 | 9 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 45 |
| 1995 | 27 | 3 | 25 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 70 |
| 1996 | 31 | 6 | 37 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 80 |
| 1997 | 35 | 7 | 54 | 16 | 5 | 10 | 127 |
| 1998 | 36 | 12 | 56 | 20 | 4 | 11 | 139 |
(S. Yoshida)
