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A Handbook for the Education of Radiation Therapists (Rtts) TRAINING COURSE SERIES

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A Handbook for the Education of Radiation Therapists (Rtts) TRAINING COURSE SERIES 58 @ A Handbook for the Education of Radiation Therapistsof Radiation Education the (RTTs)x A Handbook for A Handbook for the Education of Radiation Therapists (RTTs) TRAINING COURSE SERIES TRAINING ISSN 1018–5518 VIENNA, 2014 TRAINING COURSE SERIES 58 A HANDBOOK FOR THE EDUCATION OF RADIATION THERAPISTS (RTTs) The following States are Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency: AFGHANISTAN GHANA PAKISTAN ALBANIA GREECE PALAU ALGERIA GUATEMALA PANAMA ANGOLA HAITI PAPUA NEW GUINEA ARGENTINA HOLY SEE PARAGUAY ARMENIA HONDURAS PERU AUSTRALIA HUNGARY PHILIPPINES AUSTRIA ICELAND POLAND AZERBAIJAN INDIA PORTUGAL BAHAMAS INDONESIA QATAR BAHRAIN IRAN, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA BANGLADESH IRAQ ROMANIA BELARUS IRELAND RUSSIAN FEDERATION BELGIUM ISRAEL RWANDA BELIZE ITALY SAN MARINO BENIN JAMAICA SAUDI ARABIA BOLIVIA JAPAN SENEGAL BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA JORDAN BOTSWANA KAZAKHSTAN SERBIA BRAZIL KENYA SEYCHELLES BRUNEI DARUSSALAM KOREA, REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE BULGARIA KUWAIT SINGAPORE BURKINA FASO KYRGYZSTAN SLOVAKIA BURUNDI lAO PEOPlE’S DEmOCRATIC SLOVENIA CAMBODIA REPUBLIC SOUTH AFRICA CAMEROON LATVIA SPAIN CANADA LEBANON SRI LANKA CENTRAL AFRICAN LESOTHO SUDAN REPUBLIC LIBERIA SWAZILAND CHAD LIBYA SWEDEN CHILE LIECHTENSTEIN SWITZERLAND CHINA LITHUANIA SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC COLOMBIA LUXEMBOURG TAJIKISTAN CONGO MADAGASCAR THAILAND COSTA RICA MALAWI THE FORMER YUGOSLAV CÔTE D’IVOIRE MALAYSIA REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA CROATIA MALI TOGO CUBA MALTA TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO CYPRUS MARSHALL ISLANDS TUNISIA CZECH REPUBLIC MAURITANIA TURKEY DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC MAURITIUS UGANDA OF THE CONGO MEXICO UKRAINE DENMARK MONACO UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DOMINICA MONGOLIA UNITED KINGDOM OF DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MONTENEGRO GREAT BRITAIN AND ECUADOR MOROCCO EGYPT MOZAMBIQUE NORTHERN IRELAND EL SALVADOR MYANMAR UNITED REPUBLIC ERITREA NAMIBIA OF TANZANIA ESTONIA NEPAL UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ETHIOPIA NETHERLANDS URUGUAY FIJI NEW ZEALAND UZBEKISTAN FINLAND NICARAGUA VENEZUELA FRANCE NIGER VIET NAM GABON NIGERIA YEMEN GEORGIA NORWAY ZAMBIA GERMANY OMAN ZIMBABWE The Agency’s Statute was approved on 23 October 1956 by the Conference on the Statute of the IAEA held at United Nations Headquarters, New York; it entered into force on 29 July 1957. The Headquarters of the Agency are situated in Vienna. Its principal objective is “to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world’’. TRAINING COURSE SERIES No. 58 A HANDBOOK FOR THE EDUCATION OF RADIATION THERAPISTS (RTTs) InternationaL atoMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA, 2014 COPYRIGHT NOTICE All IAEA scientific and technical publications are protected by the terms of the Universal Copyright Convention as adopted in 1952 (Berne) and as revised in 1972 (Paris). The copyright has since been extended by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva) to include electronic and virtual intellectual property. Permission to use whole or parts of texts contained in IAEA publications in printed or electronic form must be obtained and is usually subject to royalty agreements. Proposals for non-commercial reproductions and translations are welcomed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Enquiries should be addressed to the IAEA Publishing Section at: Marketing and Sales Unit, Publishing Section International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre PO Box 100 1400 Vienna, Austria fax: +43 1 2600 29302 tel.: +43 1 2600 22417 email: [email protected] http://www.iaea.org/books For further information on this publication, please contact: Applied Radiation Biology and Radiotherapy Section International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre PO Box 100 1400 Vienna, Austria Email: [email protected] A HANDBOOK FOR THE EDUCATION OF RADIATION THERAPISTS (RTTs) IAEA, VIENNA, 2014 IAEA-TCS-58 ISSN 1018–5518 © IAEA, 2014 Printed by the IAEA in Austria September 2014 FOREWORD According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of new cancer cases detected each year is expected to increase worldwide — and especially in low and middle income countries. More than half of all cancer patients will require radiotherapy as part of their disease management. Radiotherapy is a multidisciplinary field that uses complex technologies, including the use of radiation sources for the imaging and treatment of cancer patients. Radiotherapy facilities require specialized shielded rooms, careful planning and trained personnel not only to provide radiation protection but also to optimize workflow. There is a significant gap in the number of national cancer control programmes, including radiotherapy services, available to cancer patients in low and middle income countries when compared with high income countries. To address this, the IAEA has produced general guidelines for planning national radiotherapy services and for establishing radiotherapy programmes, including clinical treatment, medical physics, radiation protection and safety aspects. As populations age, the incidence of cancer and the number of patients requiring radiotherapy are expected to increase. To ensure optimum treatment for all patients, professionals in radiotherapy services require the appropriate education and training. In response to this, the IAEA has issued recommendations on the education of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation biologists and radiation oncology nurses. The planned provision of a qualified workforce to meet this demand also requires an increase in the number of radiation therapy technologists (RTTs) who are competent to work in modern radiotherapy. This publication outlines recommendations on the professional education of RTTs and has been developed within the Training Course Series. This publication is intended to provide a framework for the planning and implementation of education programmes for RTTs. It is aimed at professionals and administrators involved in the planning of education programmes in radiotherapy, medical technology schools and RTTs in general. The IAEA is grateful to all the contributors who assisted in the drafting and review of this publication. The IAEA officer responsible for this publication was E. Rosenblatt of the Division of Human Health. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 1.1. SETTING UP AN EDUCATION PROGRAMME FOR RADIATION THERAPISTS (RTTS) ....................................................................................... 1 1.1.1. Background ................................................................................. 1 1.1.2. Definition of a radiation therapist (RTT) .................................... 2 1.1.3. Recognition of title and qualification.......................................... 2 1.1.4. Education of the radiation therapist ............................................ 2 1.1.5. Education models ........................................................................ 3 1.1.6. Core competencies and scope of practice ................................... 5 1.1.7. Entry requirements .................................................................... 19 1.1.8. Course duration ......................................................................... 19 1.1.9. Education level and certification ............................................... 20 1.1.10. Education environment ............................................................. 21 1.1.11. Physical infrastructure ............................................................... 21 1.1.12. Academic staff .......................................................................... 21 1.1.13. Programme leader ..................................................................... 21 1.1.14. Course accreditation .................................................................. 22 1.1.15. National recognition .................................................................. 22 1.1.16. Professional representation for RTTs ....................................... 23 1.1.17. Ensuring that the specific needs of RTTs are met .................... 23 1.1.18. Teaching, learning and assessment ........................................... 23 1.1.19. Teaching methods ..................................................................... 24 1.1.20. Lectures ..................................................................................... 25 1.1.21. Laboratory based ....................................................................... 25 1.1.22. Clinical topics ........................................................................... 25 1.1.23. Tutorials .................................................................................... 25 1.1.24. Journal club ............................................................................... 25 1.1.25. Case studies ............................................................................... 25 1.1.26. Problem based learning (PBL) .................................................. 26 1.1.27. Simulations ............................................................................... 26 1.1.28. Assessment ................................................................................ 27 1.1.29. Assessment methods ................................................................. 28 1.1.30. Traditional examination ............................................................ 28 1.1.31. Open book examination ...........................................................
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