Teaching Financial Fitness: Integrating a Financial Literacy Curriculum Into Radiation Oncology Residency Program

Financial literacy remains a critical yet often neglected component of medical education. Radiation Oncology residents face significant financial stressors, including high educational debt, limited exposure to personal finance, and the increasing burden of financial toxicity among patients. These stressors can contribute to impaired decision-making from undue physician cognitive burden and subsequently, suboptimal patient care. In response to these challenges, we developed a structured financial literacy curriculum for Radiation Oncology residents at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). This initiative consists of two complementary components: (1) a six-lecture Personal Finance Curriculum repeated biennially, covering topics such as debt management, budgeting, investing, insurance, and career planning; and (2) a four-lecture Business of Medicine and Financial Toxicity Curriculum delivered annually, focused on healthcare reimbursement, insurance navigation, medical documentation, and financial toxicity in cancer care. Each lecture is accredited for one Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit, and the structure ensures that residents are exposed to each topic at least twice during their four-year radiation oncology training. This curriculum directly addresses gaps in both physician financial literacy and the understanding of patient-level financial toxicity. By integrating behavioral finance principles, insurance literacy, and practice management skills, the program aims to reduce physician cognitive burden, improve financial decision-making, and enhance career satisfaction. Furthermore, by equipping residents with tools to help mitigate patient financial toxicity, the curriculum supports better patient outcomes and satisfaction. Integrating financial literacy into Radiation Oncology residency training is feasible, well-received, and urgently needed. The UCLA Financial Fitness Curriculum offers a scalable model that other training programs can adopt to improve financial decision-making by physicians, leading to better outcomes and satisfaction for patients.