MEDICAL DOSIMETRY PROGRAM
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SPRING 2024
MEDICAL DOSIMETRY PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Medical Dosimetrists play a crucial role in planning radiation therapy treatments for cancer patients. Medical Dosimetrists work closely with radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, and other healthcare professionals to ensure that the proper dose of radiation is administered to cancer patients according to the prescription while minimizing the dose received by healthy tissues. The medical dosimetrist creates the patient’s treatment plan using sophisticated computer software programs and medical imaging datasets.
A medical dosimetrist must be proficient in using computers and must be well-versed in their understanding of math, physics, anatomy & physiology, radiation biology, and radiation therapy equipment to be successful.
MEDICAL DOSIMETRY PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
CAHE’s Medical Dosimetry Program is a 19-month program that includes 4 quarters of clinical education. Individuals who are already educated and licensed as radiation therapists may qualify for transfer credit and begin in the 2nd quarter of the program, completing the program in 16 months.
The program’s curriculum prepares students to sit for the Medical Dosimetry Certification Board (MDCB) exam upon completion of all program requirements. Graduates are encouraged to apply to take their licensing exam as soon as possible after graduating. The course of instruction follows the latest Standards for an Accredited Education Program in Medical Dosimetry.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
Upon successful completion of all didactic, lab and clinical requirements, students become eligible to be reviewed for graduation from the medical dosimetry program.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
- Program Overview
- Mission & Goals
- Course Schedule
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Program Curriculum
Quarter 1
10 WeeksCourse Number Course Title Class Hrs Lab Hrs Clinic Hrs BIO 1210 Cross-sectional Anatomy 30 BIO 2120 Pathophysiology 40 ETH 1210 Ethics & Law in the Health Professions 30 HUM 1120 Medical Terminology 10 RAD 1140 Patient Care I 20 RAD 1230 Radiation Physics I 30 RAD 1370 Radiation Protection 20 RAD 1380 Medical Imaging & Processing 10 RAD 2360 Quality Management & Operational Issues 20 Quarter 2
10 WeeksCourse Number Course Title Class Hrs Lab Hrs Clinic Hrs COM 1120 Communication 40 MDS 1110 Foundation of Medical Dosimetry 30 MDS 1210L Contouring Skills Lab 40 MDS 1220 Intro to Treatment Planning 30 MDS 1230L Treatment Planning Skills Lab 40 RAD 1470 Radiation Biology 30 RAD 1330 Radiation Physics II 30 Quarter 3
10 WeeksCourse Number Course Title Class Hrs Lab Hrs Clinic Hrs MDS 1310 Clinical Application of Electron Beams 30 MDS 1320 Brachytherapy 30 MDS 1330 Complex Planning I- SRT/SRS 15 MDS 1390 Clinical Education I 260 RTT 1480 Healthcare Informatics 15 Quarter 4
10 WeeksCourse Number Course Title Class Hrs Lab Hrs Clinic Hrs MDS 2480 Professional Capstone I (comps) 10 MDS 2410 QA of Equipment (VERT) 15 MDS 1490 Clinical Education II 320 MDS 2420 Complex Planning II-SBRT/SBRS 15 Quarter 5
10 WeeksCourse Number Course Title Class Hrs Lab Hrs Clinic Hrs MDS 2580 Professional Capstone II 10 MDS 2590 Clinical Education III 320 Quarter 6
10 WeeksCourse Number Course Title Class Hrs Lab Hrs Clinic Hrs MDS 2690 Clinical Education IV 350 MDS 2795 Board Review (4 Weeks) 48 TOTAL HOURS 558 80 1,250 -
Progression Policy
PROGRESSION POLICY
A student must pass all courses in the program in order to graduate from the program.
A student must pass all courses in a quarter/quarter in order to progress to the next quarter/quarter in the program.
If a student fails one course in a quarter/quarter the following policy is in effect:
Progression Course: they face termination from the program. A progression course is defined as a course that is delineated as a pre-requisite course for a course in the following quarter/quarter. All required pre-requisite courses are listed in the Academic Policy as published in the Catalog Addendum.
Non-Progression Course: the course must be made up as per the Make-Up Policy published in the Institutional Catalog.
Please refer to the Summative Examination Policy as published in the Catalog for additional details.
Comprehensive Exam:
A student who fails up to two didactic courses in a quarter may qualify for a comprehensive exam(s) for each of the failed courses. The results of the comprehensive exam(s) will determine the student’s requirements to meet the objectives of the failed course.Qualifying for a Comprehensive Exam
In order to qualify for a comprehensive exam a student’s course average must be a minimum grade of 65.Results of the Comprehensive Exam
75 to 89 – the student will be required to complete an independent course of study that meets the objectives of the course. A learning contract will be signed by the student detailing the objective criteria they are required to complete. Once complete the minimum passing grade will be recorded as their score.
90 to 100 – the student will be considered to have passed the course and will receive the minimum passing grade as their recorded score.
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Grading Scale
Letter Grade Numerical Equivalent Quality Points Legend A 90-100 4.0 Excellent B+ 85-89 3.5 Very Good B+ 80-84 3.0 Very Good C+ 75-79 2.5 Satisfactory C+ 70-74 2.0 Satisfactory D 65-69 1.0 Unsatisfactory F 0-64 0 Failure P – – Pass TF – – Transfer Credits INC – 0 Incomplete W – – Official Withdrawal FW – 0 Failure due to Unofficial Withdrawal FT – 0 Failure due to Termination - Refund Policies
