Alberta School of Radiation Therapy Program

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Alberta School ofRadiation Therapy Program
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Tom Baker Cancer Centre (TBCC) Clinical
Education Site
Cross Cancer Institute (CCI) Didactic and
Clinical Education Site
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Alberta School ofRadiation Therapy Program

• What do Radiation Therapist do?
• Requirements and course outline
• Interview and selection criteria

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Radiation Therapy

• is a prescribed medical treatment for patients
  diagnosed with cancer
• is delivered in the form of x-rays, gamma rays or
  electrons which are directed at the tumour and
  result in cell damage and cell death
• Utilizes specialized machines called linear
  accelerators to produce the radiation

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Radiation Therapist

• The Radiation Therapist is an essential member of
  a team of professionals including radiation
  oncologists, medical physicists, nurses,
  dieticians and anesthetists.

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Career Variety

• Mould Room Therapist
• Simulator Therapist
• Target definition or calculation team
• Dosimetry Therapist
• Treatment Radiation Therapist
• Brachytherapist

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Mould Room TherapistDuties Include

• manufacturing immobilization devices
• preparation of blocking
• creation of patient positioning devices
• working with power tools

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Simulator TherapistDuties Include

• initiating the first stage of treatment planning
• educating the patient about the procedures
• working with the Radiation Oncologist
• real-time and computer localization of target
  volume

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Target definition or calculation team duties
include

• preparation of patient data, treatment details
  and calculations for treatment units
• working in conjunction with dosimetry (treatment
  planning) and mould room

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Treatment PlanningDosimetry Duties

• The goal of treatment planning is to provide a
  homogeneous dose distribution to the target
  volume while limiting the dose to normal tissues
  using the various computer applications

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Treatment Radiation TherapistDuties Include

• responsibility for monitoring the patients
  physical and emotional needs.
• assessment and documentation of treatment
  reactions
• advising patients on the appropriate care plans
• Providing overall care of the patient on a daily
  basis

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Treatment Radiation TherapistDuties Also Include

• positioning the patient accurately
• delivering the radiation treatment
• verification of the prescribed radiation
• operate complex linear accelerators and computers

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Characteristics of a Radiation Therapist

• Strong desire to serve humanity
• Empathy and compassion
• Patience, consideration and acceptance for
  patients regardless of their age, race, gender,
  culture or social standing
• Team player
• Integrity and responsibility

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Program Outline

• This ACB School of Radiation Therapy Program
  includes
• Didactic courses at the CCI and clinical
  education delivered at the CCI TBCC
• Approximately 62 weeks of clinical experience.

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Radiation Therapy Education Program
Pre-requisites

• Entrance Requirements
• Minimum education requirements include the
  successful completion of 30 credits of
  post-secondary University education that must
  include the following
• English - 3 credits
• Physics - 6 credits
• Statistics - 3 credits
• Psychology/Sociology - 6 credits
• Human Anatomy and Physiology - 6 credits 
• It is recommended that courses have been
  completed within the last five years.

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Alberta School of Radiation Therapy Education
Program

• 12 students are accepted into the 28-month
  training program every year. Students are
  educated in a continuous manner over the 28
  months.
• Students receive theoretical and practical
  training under the supervision of professional
  and technical staff throughout the program.

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Program OutlineDidactic Course Examples

• Applied Anatomy
• Radiation Therapy Methodology
• Professional Practices I and II (Patient Care)
• Radiation Physics I and II
• Radiobiology
• Radiation Oncology I, II, III
• Radiation Protection
• Treatment Planning I and II

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Radiation Therapy Education Didactic Program -
Edmonton

• Fall Semester 1st week of Sept. through 3rd week
  of Dec.
• Winter Semester 1st week of Jan. through 3rd
  week of April
• Spring Semester 1st week of May through 3rd week
  of July
• Summer Semester 1st week of Aug. through last
  week of Aug.

Year 1
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Radiation Therapy Education Clinical Program
CCI or TBCC

• Fall Semester 1st week of Sept. through 3rd week
  of Dec.
• Winter Semester 1st week of Jan. through 3rd
  week of Apr.
• Spring Semester 1st week of May through 3rd week
  of July
• Summer Semester 1st week of Aug. through last
  week of Aug.

Year 2
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Radiation Therapy Education Clinical Program
CCI or TBCC

• Fall Semester 1st week of Sept. through 3rd
  week of Dec.
• Upon successful completion of the program,
  candidate will sit the Canadian Association of
  Medical Technologists (CAMRT) national
  examination - January

Year 3
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Program Objectives

• The program takes the student from non-competence
  to competence through theory and skill
  acquisition, integration of theory and clinical
  skill acquisition and development of professional
  skills, and finally professional and clinical
  competence. Competence is developed over time
  through the above process.

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Tracking student progress

• The radiation therapy education program supports
  students to achieve terminal objectives through
  setting of objectives and enabling skill
  acquisition and competence with clearly defined
  boundaries and standards. The program has a
  detailed process and tools for tracking student
  progress and measuring student performance.

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Didactic Requirements
For the didactic program students are required to

• Attend all classroom lectures
• Submit assignments on time
• Write scheduled examinations
• Submit a research project

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Radiation Therapy Education Clinical Program

• The clinical education model includes
• scheduled clinical rotation sites
• scheduled labs
• clinical written assignments and care plans
• simulated workshops
• oral reviews and/or testing situations
• research project
• article review classes
• patient rounds
• Two Athabasca University courses done at clinical
  sites

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Clinical Requirements
For the clinical program students are required to

• Demonstrate an increase in clinical skills
• Be a team player
• Interact positively with all patients
• Demonstrate competence in clinical areas

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Graduation Requirements

• Students should
• Complete the didactic and clinical components of
  the program in 28 months
• Maintain the academic standard on didactic and
  clinical components of the program (min. 70)

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English Proficiency

• English Language Proficiency requirement
• As English is the language of instruction in all
  programs in Alberta, an adequate knowledge of
  written and spoken English is a prerequisite for
  admission.
• All course work required of the students will
  also be in English.

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Selection Process

• All applicants will be evaluated and the
  applicants will be advised of the status of their
  application
• Only those candidates whose applications have
  been selected will be advised of an interview
  date and time

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Interview Selection Criteria

• Academic requirements
• Written career investigation
• Medical or related work experience
• Volunteer work in related area
• Good physical health

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Program Selection Criteria

• Academic record
• Volunteer experience
• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Team skills
• Ability to empathize

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Fees
Costs are estimates and are reviewed annually
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Program Information

• Final selection will be made after all interviews
  are complete
• Complete applications must be received no later
  than May 15 for in-province transcripts and
  January 15 for outside of province transcripts
• Non-refundable application fee of 50.00
• Program commences in September on the Tuesday
  after labour day

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Contact Information

• Alberta School of Radiation Therapy
• 780-643-4641