ESTRO 2024 Congress report

On May 6th, the ESTRO RTT Committee hosted a Meet & Greet event at ESTRO24, which brought together approximately 120 RTTs in Room Dochart 1 at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow. Despite the limited space for such a lively gathering, the energy among attendees was palpable, creating an atmosphere of connection.

The event commenced with welcoming remarks from the ESTRO RTT Committee chair, Yat Man Tsang (Canada), and Monica Buijs (The Netherlands), chair of the Scientific Advisory Group - SAG for Radiation Therapy. They introduced the ESTRO RTT Committee and discussed the evolution of the ESTRO RTT Alliance. Established in 2017, the RTT Alliance now boasts 22 European and 5 non-European national society members, thanks in large part to the efforts of RTT Alliance chairs Ludwig Van den Berghe (Belgium) and Ilija Čurić (Serbia). Over the years, our community has advocated for the recognition and advancement of RTTs, raising awareness of our crucial role in patient care.

Attendees had the opportunity to engage in group discussions, with the recommendation to avoid staying in groups where participants knew more than two RTTs to foster openness and diversity. These groups explored three key topics:

1. What sort of duties do you have at work?
2. What are the professional aspirations of each member of your group?
3. What would you like to get/learn from the ESTRO RTT Committee activities?

Each group had a representative from the RTT committee tasked with summarising the discussions and capturing valuable insights. The groups were well-mixed, representing a diverse geographical distribution of RTTs' workplaces and professional roles.

RTTs described a variety of tasks in their professional practice, including patient treatment (including adaptive RT, MR-LINAC, and proton therapy), treatment planning, patient care and support (e.g., managing late effects), research (including involvement in clinical trials, radiomics), education, management roles (e.g., staff manager, team leader), and veterinary radiotherapy, among others.

Professional aspirations included providing more patient-centred care through enhanced communication with patients to improve their overall experience. There was a strong interest in engaging in quality improvement projects and collaborating with colleagues on research for service development, as well as managing and empowering both staff and patients. For their profession, RTTs reported the aim to improve recognition, discuss practices, and explore advancements in clinical work. They aspire to pursue or complete postgraduate qualifications (e.g., MSc, PhD) and aim to present research at future ESTRO conferences. Additionally, they expressed a desire to inspire colleagues at work and to help in staff recruitment and retention, since there were common concerns about RTT retention and the implementation or maintenance of advanced practice posts.

Although time constraints limited the oral exploration of question III, RTTs responded via QR code regarding their interests, needs, and expectations for ESTRO RTT Committee activities. Some of the key points reported were:

• Need for a Digital Platform: A specific digital platform for RTTs to share ideas, experiences, ongoing projects, studies, or discoveries to enable collaboration, information sharing, and support.
• Interest in Global Networking: Regular networking opportunities to build a community or forum for oncology projects.
• Inspiration from Achievements: Drawing inspiration from the achievements and presentations of RTTs worldwide to advance in clinical practice or career.
• Expectation of Dedicated Courses: Courses focused on leadership, research, clinical trials, AI, dosimetry, contouring, or online learning platforms, or workshops to promote collaboration among RTTs or interdisciplinary training.
• Creation of Best Practice Guidelines: Development of specific guidelines to improve professional standards, such as joining an ESTRO focus group or recommending protocols/workflows.
• Advocacy Efforts: Advocacy for patients, radiotherapy, RTTs, and advanced practice across Europe.
• Network for Radiotherapy Educators: Establishing a specific network or global community for radiotherapy educators.
• Career Support and Guidance: Offering career support and guidance, including connecting with mentors or buddies in areas such as research, scholarship and grant opportunities, professional mobility, motivation, and mental health.
• Promoting Research and Collaboration: Facilitating the integration of research into clinical practice through collaboration networks and promoting global translational research, including access to RTT peer-reviewed research with a focus on patient care.
• Enhancing Recruitment and Retention: Developing strategies and tools to improve RTT recruitment and retention, such as an advanced practice career track.
• Advancing the RTT Profession: Providing pathways and tools for advancing the RTT profession and practice, including curriculum standardisation, professional recognition, new professional frontiers, CPD activities, and RTT-led initiatives.
• Advancing Technologies: Offering resources for advancing technologies and their foundational knowledge.
• Presentation Skills: Learning how to present at conferences with tips and tricks for effective public speaking and engagement.

Email addresses of interested attendees were collected for committee updates. Rita Simões (United Kingdom) from the RTT committee promoted the RTT particle therapy network for potential collaborations, while Sophie Perryck (Switzerland) from the Young committee disseminated information about the upcoming recruitment process for RTTs to be part of the ESTRO RTT Committee.

As we reflect on the success of this event, our excitement for the future of the ESTRO RTT community is palpable. Together, by sharing knowledge and supporting one another, we can amplify our impact and drive meaningful change in our profession. We invite you to contribute your ideas and insights to our community by emailing us at rtt@estro.org.

A heartfelt thank you to all RTTs who attended and contributed to the success of the Meet & Greet event. Stay tuned for upcoming initiatives and opportunities to connect with your fellow RTTs as we continue to build a vibrant and strong community. Let's keep the momentum going and make a difference together!

 

Celeste Oliveira

Radiation therapist

Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, Portugal

celeste.m.oliveira@ipoporto.min-saude.pt

Filipa Sousa

Radiation therapist

Institut Jules Bordet,

Belgium

f.rodriguessousa@hubruxelles.be