The course examines the biological response to radiation in depth, ranging from the cellular level to whole body response. The pillars of radiation protection and safety are also covered. This course introduces the student to the application of the radiation beam to the patient in the therapy environment. Topics include absorption characteristics of the radiation beam in air and in a phantom, beam data and characteristics and an introduction to treatment planning. The student applies in a clinical setting knowledge and skills gained in the didactic and laboratory components of the curriculum to imaging, computer analysis.
Evaluations are knowledge and competency based.
The course builds on Clinical Experience I, with the student now requiring less supervision and performing a wider array of procedures. This is a research project that each student is expected to complete in the third clinical year. Students will be able to choose an area of interest and work with supervisors in their clinical site to complete the project. It is hoped that ideas for the projects will be developed in the Research Methods course in second year. The student spends four weeks at a base hospital applying the didactic information previously assimilated to the clinical setting.