Postgraduate - UnitRTP5102 - Current issues in radiation therapy and oncology

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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12 points, SCA Band 2, 0.250 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Level	Postgraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational Unit	Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences
Offered	Clayton Second semester 2015 (Online)
Coordinator(s)	Ms Caroline Wright

Synopsis

This foundation unit of the Master of Advanced Radiation Therapy Practice is designed to meet the needs of Radiation Therapists seeking to advance their understanding and extend their knowledge of current issues which impact on radiation therapy and oncology service delivery. Workforce issues related to radiation therapy and oncology service delivery will be studied and students will evaluate the factors that impact on resource management. Students will study government policy, quality assurance systems, standards, and novel initiatives in relation to radiation therapy and oncology. Issues associated with rural and regional radiation oncology service delivery and cultural and demographic factors that affect utilisation of radiation oncology services will also be discussed.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

Analyse and synthesise the impact of a range of factors on radiation oncology service delivery with respect to your local context
Critically evaluate current and future workforce issues with respect to your local context, reflecting on your professional experience
Appraise the impact of cultural and other demographic factors on cancer control and radiation therapy utilisation
Discuss government initiatives and policies in relation radiation oncology service delivery
Evaluate national and international radiation therapy and oncology standards and reflect on your experience of implementation of standards in your clinical centre
Explain quality assurance requirements in radiation therapy, reflecting on the impact of implementation of these on radiation therapy service delivery
Appraise the barriers and enables to regional and rural radiation oncology service delivery
Evaluate current and future factors impacting on resource management in radiation therapy service delivery with respect to your local context.

Assessment

Evidence-based business case (3,000 words) (25%)
Structured oral presentation (Individual) (20 minutes) (20%)
Critical reflection on the presentation (1,000 words) (10%)
Journal article (3,000 words) (25%)
Moodle discussion board posting (1,000 words) (10%)
2 x Reflective evidence-based responses (500 words each) (10%)

Workload requirements

Off-campus: 12 hours per week of direct engagement in the learning materials and 12 hours of self-directed study for 12 weeks.

Chief examiner(s)

Ms Caroline Wright

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Medical radiations and radiation therapy