Radiation Therapy Schools and Programs

Radiation therapy is mostly and mainly used as a part of the treatment plans for cancer patients. Radiation therapy specialists operate machines, which are known as linear accelerators, in order to target cancerous cells and eliminate or shrink them. High energy x-rays are used in the linear accelerators to kill off the cancerous cells.

Those individuals, who are interested in the field of radiation therapy, should necessarily consider attending a radiation therapist school in order to enroll in a radiography program or radiation therapy. Even though radiography programs deal primarily with radiological imaging (ultrasounds, x-rays, etc.), it’s completely possible for one to go through this program and after that complete a year long radiation therapy certificate program.

Radiation therapy professionals are generally required to hold a degree or certificate in radiation therapy, and because of that it’s very important that the radiation therapist college program, which is chosen by the student, is accredited by the ARRT (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists). More than that, a large amount of states requires radiation therapists, in order to become licensed to practice, to pass the ARRT’s certification examination.

Radiation Therapy Coursework

Classes for radiation therapy students combine supervised clinical experience with time in class.

Courses include:

Algebra, physics and pre-calculus
Human anatomy and physiology
Clinical concepts in radiation oncology
Scientific theories behind radiation therapy procedures
the Application of radiation
Dose calculations and simulation procedures
High-risk , low-volume procedures
Fabrication of beam modification devices
Radiation protection and quality assurance
Patient care and education
Treatment planning and delivery

Online Radiation Therapy Programs and Classes

Because radiation therapy programs require clinical experience it’s not possible for the completed studies to be taken entirely online. Online classes, which apply towards a degree or certificate can be available and offer a convenient solution for the working students. But it should be ensured that if a student will choose to transfer online studies from one school to another the credits are transferrable.

In addition to that, any program with an online studies option should be definitely accredited through ARRT in order to qualify graduates for certification.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, in keeping with its commitment to patient care and education, is offering a two-year, full-time program of study in Radiation Oncology Technology.

Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s School of Radiation Therapy was graduated by hundreds of radiation therapists over the past three decades.

This school measures the success of their program by the extent to which they accomplish the following aims:

Producing graduates who possess the practical skills and knowledge they need to provide accurate treatment delivery and planning .
Producing graduates who are effective communicators, both orally and in writing.
Providing students with the opportunity to develop critical thinking and problem-solvingskills.
Producing graduates who complete the program and gain employment to meet the needs of the healthcare community.
Producing graduates who exhibit appropriate ethical and professional behavior for entry-level radiation therapy positions and demonstrate interest for professional development and goal.

University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha

The University of Nebraska Medical Center, ranked fourteenth in primary care, as well as among the top hundred research medical schools of 2010 by World and U.S. News Report, is offering the Bachelor of Science in Radiation Science Technology program.

Students are obtaining this accredited program with a help of the Radiation Science Technology Education division at the School of Allied Health Professions. To be admitted, students have to complete thirty five semester hours of core university classes from an accredited university or college. This includes a college level computer content course, for which documentation must be shown.