Course Descriptions

This course will provide first-year students with a solid foundation of clinical set-up skills that they will build on during their clinical rotations. The clinical setups will be broken down into their basic components and analyzed, with emphasis on the rationale for each. Practical surface anatomy will also be covered. Students will be instructed on the methods and techniques used to accurately set up a patient for treatment. Simulation concepts and principles will be discussed and the review of simulation films will be an integral part of the course.

This course is designed to provide the student with a foundation in how to assess and evaluate a patient for service delivery. Psychological and physical needs and other factors affecting treatment outcome will be presented and examined. Routine and emergency care procedures will be presented, as will basic information on the medical implications of chemotherapeutic agents. The more common chemotherapeutic agents will be introduced, and methods of administration and possible side effects will be discussed.

This course will familiarize the student with the patient chart and its content. All components of the legal document will be defined and discussed, ensuring that students know how to use proper documentation and find information relevant to the patient's treatment.

The course will give students a foundation in the standardized language of medical practice, including abbreviations and symbols. Knowledge of medical terms and their meanings will be used as a preparatory tool for reading, understanding, interpreting, and applying prescriptions to radiation therapy. Students will gain a deeper understanding of medical terms as they relate to radiation oncology.

This course offers students a review of arithmetic involving basic calculations. Student will be introduced to units used in radiation therapy, including the metric system and SI units. The student will be instructed in the basic mathematical functions and skills needed to perform all essential calculations encountered in the radiation therapy profession.

This course will emphasize the anatomy and related physiology of the skeletal, muscular, circulatory, nervous, respiratory, digestive, excretory, reproductive, and endocrine systems.  The components of the cell, tissues, organs and systems will also be discussed. The clinical application of anatomical information will be a major focus.

This course will establish a basic foundation of professional practice for students working as part of the radiation therapy team. Ethical behavior for caregivers will be defined and discussed with a focus on the interdependence of the radiation therapist and the patient.

This course is designed to provide a basic knowledge of physics as it pertains to the radiations used in the clinical setting. Fundamental physics units, measurements, principles, atomic structure, and types of radiation are emphasized. Also presented are fundamentals of x-ray generating equipment as well as x-ray production and its interaction with matter. Other topics include detailed analysis of the structure of matter, properties of radiation, nuclear transformation, x-ray production, and interactions of ionizing radiation.

This course is designed to review and expand on the concepts and theories introduced in Radiation Physics I course. Also presented are treatment units used in external radiation therapy, measurement and quality of ionizing radiation produced, absorbed dose measurement, dose distribution and scatter analysis. In addition, the course will cover properties of photon and electron beams, electron beam therapy, brachytherapy, gamma ray constants of isotopes, calculation of brachytherapy dose in clinical applications, systems of implant dosimetry, and implant techniques.

The student will learn the basic principles and concepts of radiation protection and safety. Topics related to radiation health and safety requirements of federal and state regulatory agencies, accreditation agencies, and health care organizations are incorporated. Students will also discuss, examine, perform, and be evaluated on the specific responsibilities of the radiation therapist.

This course is designed to establish a knowledge base in factors that govern and influence the production and recording of radiographic images for patient simulation, treatment planning, and treatment verification in radiation oncology. Instruction on the use of radiation oncology imaging equipment and related devices will be emphasized. Class demonstrations and labs will be used to illustrate the application of theory.

This course will present basic concepts and principles of radiation biology. Topics include the interactions of radiation with cells, tissues and the body as a whole, and resultant biophysical event's. Discussion of the theories and principles of tolerance dose, time-dose relationships, and fractionation schemes and its relationship to the clinical practice of radiation therapy will be discussed, and evaluated.

This course will introduce student's to the basic concept of disease. Emphasis will be placed on different types of growths, causative factors, and biological behavior. Etiology and clinical manifestations will be described. Students will be required to submit a research paper on an assigned topic and present their findings in class.

This course will provide student's with the fundamentals of clinical radiation oncology. Malignant conditions, their etiology, and methods of treatment will be discussed. Attention is given to patient prognosis, treatment results, and effects of combined therapies.

This course will equip the student's with the fundamental's of clinical radiation oncology. The medical, biological, and pathological aspects, as well as the physical and technical aspects will be discussed. The roles and responsibilities of the radiation therapist, the treatment prescription, the documentation of treatment parameters and delivery, emergency procedures, and patient condition and education needs will also be presented, discussed, examined, and evaluated. Students will be required to submit a research paper on an assigned topic and present their findings in class.

This course is devoted to an examination and evaluation of neoplastic disease management. The course will draw on knowledge in the arts and sciences, while promoting critical thinking and providing a basis for ethical clinical decision making. The epidemiology, etiology, detection, diagnosis, patient condition, treatment, and prognosis of neoplastic disease will be presented, discussed, and evaluated in relationship to histology, anatomical site, and patterns of spread. Oncologic emergencies and management will also be discussed. The radiation therapist's responsibility in the management of neoplastic disease will be examined and linked to the skills required to analyze complex issues and make informed decisions. This course is designed to be taught over a period of two semesters with many lectures presented by our attending radiation oncologists. Students will be required to submit a research paper on assigned an topic and present their findings in class.

This course is designed to give students an understanding of the factors that influence and govern clinical planning of patient treatment. Topics include isodose description, patient contouring, radiobiological considerations, dosimetric calculations, compensation, and clinical application of treatment beams. Optimal treatment planning is emphasized along with particle beams. Attention is given to the rationale, theory, and calculations for each method. Class demonstrations and projects are incorporated to complement specific content areas and are focus on clinical applications. This course is offered over a two-semester period. In addition, students will be assigned a two-week clinical rotation in the treatment planning department.

This course will ensure the student's proficiency at reading and analyzing films and treatment fields. Organs and structures will be located radiographically and discussed in relation to anatomical landmarks. Typical treatment fields, including borders, blocking, and nodal chains will be identified and discussed.

This course examines how we comprehend quality management as it relates to aspects of radiation therapy. Quality management protocols will be presented as they apply to patient care, record keeping, documentation, and equipment and radiation output.

This comprehensive review of topics presented during the terms of the program will help prepare student therapists for the registry exam. Registry-type exam questions will be provided, and student constructed of exam questions, prior unit exam questions, and final exams questions will be used, together with review texts. In addition, the school will do its utmost to provide financial support to cover the registration cost for all students interested in participating in the four-day Registry Review Seminar sponsored by Hartford Hospital. Participation in the four-day registry review seminar is strictly on a voluntary basis.