This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2016 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.

RTS5103 - Radiation therapy science 6

12 points, SCA Band 2, 0.250 EFTSL

Postgraduate - Unit

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

Faculty

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Organisational Unit

Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences

Coordinator(s)

Ms Catherine Osborne

Offered

Clayton

First semester 2016 (Online)

Synopsis

This unit is the second of three units dealing specifically with the principles and applications of radiation therapy planning and treatment. This unit will cover the: loco-motor, lymphatic, cardio-vascular, and haematological systems. In addition students will also analyse and evaluate the principles of quality assurance and how they relate to the practice of radiation therapy. Students will gain in-depth knowledge on the role applications of image verification in radiation therapy treatment delivery. Students will be able to analyse and evaluate radiation therapy beam modification devices and planning evaluation tools. This unit includes one week of clinically oriented simulated learning and a four week clinical placement that will allow students to develop further clinical and professional skills to a beginner/intermediate beginner level. Whilst studying these topics, students will be encouraged to critically reflect, analyse and synthesis relevant information from the literature and reflect on their clinical experiences.

Outcomes

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

Identify and describe in detail; structural and sectional anatomy, physiology, pathology and oncology related to: loco-motor, lymphatic, and cardiovascular systems.
Critically analyse radiation therapy planning, treatment and verification techniques with reference to international standards, the evidence-base and personal reflections for: the loco-motor, lymphatic, and cardiovascular systems and demonstrate beginner level planning, treatment and verification procedures for a range of diagnoses.
Describe with reference to the evidence-base, acute and late radiation therapy side effects, analysing patient care and management strategies related to the above body systems, demonstrating the provision of beginner level multi-disciplinary patient care, management, communication and professional skills for a range of patients.
Describe the process of how 3D datasets are generated and evaluate the clinical use of 3D images for planning and verification.
Describe in detail and apply the principles of radiation safety, quality management, occupational health and safety.
Appraise protocols, procedures and legal requirements used for incident reporting.
Appraise the imaging modalities used for treatment verification and demonstrate beginner level image matching.
Analyse and synthesis the principles and clinical applications of plan evaluation tools, demonstrating beginner level use of these.
Evaluate the rationale for use of beam modification accessories.
Describe and discuss effective and respectful working collaborations with the multi-disciplinary team.

Fieldwork

4 weeks clinical placement + 1 week clinically oriented simulated learning.

Assessment

Examination (3 hours) (50%)
Image recognition examination (1 hour) (10%)
Two assignments (3,000 words each) (30%)
Clinical skills assessment (10%)

Hurdle:
All elements of assessment must be passed to pass the unit.