(S027) The Emotional Intelligence of Chairs of Academic Radiation Oncology Programs
Academic radiation oncology chairs have high emotional Intelligence, and increased emotional Intelligence correlates significantly with decreased rates of self-reported burnout. In the future, emotional Intelligence scores may be of increasing importance when it comes to recruitment and retention of academic medical leadership.
Emma B. Holliday, MD, James A. Bonner, MD, Silvia C. Formenti, MD, Stephen M. Hahn, MD, Shalom Kalnicki, MD, Fei-Fei Liu, MD, Benjamin Movsas, MD, Clifton D. Fuller, MD, PhD, Charles R. Thomas, Jr, MD; UT MD Anderson Cancer Center; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Alabama; Department of Radiation Oncology, Weill Cornell Medical College; Department of Radiation Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Center; Department of Radiation Oncology, Henry Ford Hospital; Department of Radiation Medicine, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health and Science University
BACKGROUND: Emotional Intelligence (EI) has attracted recent attention as a desirable trait for physicians. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has incorporated aspects of EI into its core competencies by which resident physicians are evaluated. There is likewise emerging interest in the relationship of EI to retention, promotion, and academic productivity; however, to date, there has been no formal evaluation of EI among current department chairs. Therefore, our objectives were to assess the EI of current chairs of academic radiation oncology departments and correlate EI with self-reported assessment of burnout.
METHODS: Ninety-five current chairs of academic radiation oncology departments were invited to participate in an institutional review board (IRB)-approved survey containing questions regarding general demographics and chair experience, the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short Form (TEIQue-SF), and the abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory (a-MBI). TEIQue-SF scores were evaluated for correlation with respondent demographics and self-reported burnout scores on the a-MBI.
RESULTS: Sixty chairs responded to the survey, for a response rate of 63.2%. Nine respondents (15%) were female, and the remaining 51 (85%) were male. The median (interquartile range [IQR]) TEIQue-SF for the responding cohort was 172 (155–182) out of a maximum possible score of 210. The a-MBI Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization subscores were low for the responding cohort with a median (IQR) of 4 (2.25–6.75) and 1 (0–2.75) out of a maximum possible of 18 and 30, respectively. Higher TEIQue-SF global scores were significantly correlated with decreased burnout on all a-MBI subscores.
CONCLUSIONS: Academic radiation oncology chairs have high EI, and increased EI correlates significantly with decreased rates of self-reported burnout. In the future, EI scores may be of increasing importance when it comes to recruitment and retention of academic medical leadership.
Proceedings of the 98th Annual Meeting of the American Radium Society - americanradiumsociety.org
