AROPA: Transformational Leaders Who Have Implemented Change

Purpose: Over the last ten years, there has been a fundamental change in understanding the Program Coordinator’s (PC) role from that of a clerical/secretarial to that of a Manager/Administrator. This change required the PCs to master the knowledge of accreditation and institutional requirements and the ability to function as an integral part of the program leadership team. Ultimately, this led to the need to create and develop national professional organizations to support them.

Methodology: Founded in early 2010, the Association of Radiation Oncology Program Coordinators (AROPC) became the first non-profit Radiation Oncology organization established with a mission dedicated to solely elevate the Program Coordinator’s position and to serve as the conduit of education for those administering radiation oncology educational programs.

The AROPC holds impactful annual meetings that allow the coordinators to learn all the accreditation educational standards of the Radiation Oncology medical and medical physics fields. The meetings are designed to teach PCs skills that confer a professional status.

Results: The organization caught the attention of academic institutions, radiation oncology national associations, and educational accrediting bodies, such as the ACGME and CAMPEP. This resulted in the recognition of the coordinator’s role as an intricate part of the educational team, which was solidified by the ACGME when they put together the first ACGME’s Coordinator’s Advisory Group, which included the founder of the AROPC. This group continues to serve as a consultative body to the ACGME administration concerning coordinators, graduate medical education, and accreditation matters.

In 2023, the AROPC changed its name to the Association of Radiation Oncology Program Administrators (AROPA). The purpose of the change was to convey that the role continues to evolve and its scope continues to broaden. AROPA is a well-respected Radiation Oncology national association that currently trains program administrators in the management of residency, fellowship, master, and graduate medical physics educational programs.

Conclusions: AROPA members stay abreast of national trends and adapt to institutional changes through professional development opportunities AROPA’s leadership serves on national educational executive committees, where they teach stakeholders regarding educational updates and share practices across programs to increase awareness about the specialty and influence the pipeline.

AROPA has played a pivotal role in shaping the growth and success of the program administrator position. Individuals have gained invaluable insights into effective project management and leadership skills through their guidance and support. AROPA has been instrumental in honing the ability to prioritize tasks, communicate effectively, and adapt to the ever-changing situations within residency programs.

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