 PCC Medical Dosimetry student Trey Herringdine, center, demonstrates radiation therapy equipment with help from PCC Radiation Therapy Technology graduates Carolina Moreno (on table) and Joy McMillan. |
WINTERVILLE�Pitt Community College launched a new program this semester aimed at producing graduates skilled in making precise calculations for treating cancerous tumors with radiation. Started in August, Pitt�s Medical Dosimetry program is a concentration within the school�s Radiation Therapy curriculum. Students in the program learn how to plan treatments and perform dose calculations that treat cancerous tumors and not the healthy tissue surrounding them. �The primary goal of radiation treatment is to treat the tumor site and avoid dose to normal tissue,� explained James Naves, Chief Medical Dosimetrist with the Department of Radiation Oncology at East Carolina University�s Brody School of Medicine. �The challenge is how to do that.� Medical dosimetrists are part of a team comprised of doctors, radiation therapists and medical physicists working in partnership to treat cancer patients with radiation. The planning process begins with a physician defining an area of treatment for a cancer patient. From there, a dosimetrist uses Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance (MR) scans of the patient to create a computerized body image that helps in determining how to deliver the doctor�s prescribed treatment. In planning how to deliver radiation therapy, Naves said, dosimetrists must employ techniques and technology to be used to deliver treatment as well as the methods for the patient�s positioning during therapy. They may also have to design manufacture a variety of treatment aids, including special shields to protect vital organs during the radiation process. Naves said a radiation oncologist reviews and approves the dosimetrist�s work and a radiation therapist ultimately delivers radiation treatment. A medical physicist reviews the dosimetrist�s work for accuracy, provides technical insight and performs quality assurance of all aspects of planning and delivery. Though many current medical dosimetrists have received on-the-job training, Naves said the national trend is moving toward formal education from programs accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology. The program�s curriculum consists of formal education and experience in professional ethics, medical physics, treatment planning, dose calculations and clinical oncology. PCC�s Medical Dosimetry curriculum is presently seeking national accreditation. The program operates in collaboration with the faculty and staff of the Brody School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology under the direction of physician chair Dr. Ron Allisin. Students studying to be dosimetrists at PCC receive 12 months of classroom and clinical training. Graduates of the program will be eligible for national certification as a medical dosimetrist by completing an examination by the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board. According to Naves, there is a significant shortage of Certified Medical Dosimetrists across the country. As a result, he said PCC�s Medical Dosimetry graduates would be recruited both locally and nationally. And because there are very few dosimetry curriculums offered�PCC�s program is the only one of its kind in the North Carolina Community College System�Pitt�s program will attract students from far and wide, Naves said. He added that one current student is from Augusta, Georgia. PCC�s medical dosimetry program is open to individuals already certified in radiation therapy. Naves said the ideal dosimetry student has ample knowledge of anatomy, physics and math. He said an understanding of patient care, cancer types and how they are treated and dosed is also beneficial as is computer savvy, since the dosimetry field is moving toward a paperless and filmless environment. For those who fit the mold, Elaine Spencer, director of Pitt�s Radiation Therapy program, says medical dosimetry is a great way to earn a living. �Medical Dosimetry,� says Spencer, �is for (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists)-certified radiation therapists who want to advance in the field of radiation oncology while still being a significant part of the cancer patient�s management team.� 10/10/2006 |