Cancer registrars are highly trained data specialists that capture a complete history, diagnosis, and treatment for every cancer patient. The data collected is valuable for research on prevention, screening, treatment, and overall survival for patients. According to the National Cancer Registrars Association, today there are only over 5,700 Certified Tumor Registrars (CTR) worldwide. With approx. 1.9 million new cancer cases a year, it’s easy to see there is a shortage of cancer registrars available to meet the demands of reporting cancer cases, which is consequently leading to backlog situations for many hospitals across the country.
Registry Partners wanted to do more within the profession to help, knowing that the knowledge and expertise from our team could be shared to help others. In 2015, Registry Partners started partnering with our clients to assist with training their onsite staff to become cancer registrars—in essence, growing their own cancer registrars!
The Registry Partners Mentoring Program is a partnership in which an assigned Quality Consultant (Mentor) with relevant knowledge and experience shares knowledge and skills in order to support an onsite staff member (Mentee) in their personal and professional development.
Our mentors find the program very rewarding. They can reflect back on an individual that was instrumental in helping them succeed, and the program provides them an opportunity to give back. There is extensive education needed to become a cancer registrar, but our program provides the education step by step, day by day, site by site, and manual by manual. The mentor shares in the excitement of each milestone and the mentee achieving their goal!
The mentees are a true testament to the success of our program. They are often overwhelmed at the start of their journey but find comfort as their mentor guides them through our program. Detailed instruction and constructive feedback are what they appreciate, as are the resources that have everything needed to learn or prepare for the CTR exam.
Mentoring is available for every aspect of registry operations. Whether it is increasing skills in abstraction, casefinding, follow-up, or starting from the beginning with preparation for the CTR exam, Registry Partners has a customized solution to fit every need. An education plan will be designed specific to each mentee. The program is a virtual, curriculum-based model with resources available to the mentee 24/7, as well as one-on-one calls and instruction.
If you have been searching to fill a position within your cancer registry and have an individual that needs additional training and experience, get in touch with us and let us help!
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