The National Oncology Mentorship Program (NOMP)  

Strong mentorship has been shown to improve trainee clinical skills, medical knowledge and career planning. A positive mentorship between trainee and mentor can also foster improved overall levels of wellbeing and career satisfaction. Despite these benefits, less than 1 in 5 medical oncology trainees had a formal mentor in 2021.

In 2022, a pilot mentorship program was conducted through the NSW Medical Oncology Advanced Trainee Committee, led by Dr Udit Nindra and chaired by Dr Jia (Jenny) Liu. This found high rates of burnout in medical oncology trainees and consultants. The program received excellent qualitative feedback - over 80% of mentees and 90% of mentors were satisfied with the program and advocated for a national rollout. 

Endorsed and supported by MOGA, 2023 saw the launch of the inaugural National Oncology Mentorship Program (NOMP). 

The aims of this program are to allow: 

• A confidential and safe forum for oncology trainees and young oncologists to debrief with a more senior colleague on the challenges of oncology training/career navigation and to address uncertainty/stress/burnout during these challenging times 

• An avenue to support career and personal development and provide independent feedback 

• Provide trainees with opportunities to discuss career goals with like-minded consultants that could provide research or clinical networking opportunities

NOMP23 included 112 participants (56 mentees and 56 mentors) across the country. As part of the program, it was first determined the rates of burnout, anxiety, depression and self-reported professional fulfilment. At baseline, these results were heavily concerning with over 80% of participants reporting burnout in the last 12 months.

ASCO JCO Oncology Paper:

Evaluating Systemic Burnout in Medical Oncology Through a National Oncology Mentorship Program

As part of the program, mentees and mentors were given a virtual orientation and opportunity to meet 3-4 times per year to improve these results. Analysis from the final survey has demonstrated a reduction in burnout scores with a 25% reduction amongst our cohort over the program. Further, professional fulfilment also increased for both mentees and mentors during the program. Multiple mentorship programs across ASCO and ESMO have continued to demonstrate utility not only for mentees, but for mentors, and thus in 2024 we are again running the program for all interested participants. 

We are still accepting expressions of interest from MOGA members who would like to participate in NOMP24.