Education Programs
Radiation Oncology Residency Training Program
The Radiation Oncology Residency Training Program at the University of North Carolina is committed to providing its residents with comprehensive training in the fundamental principles of oncology and cancer management, compassionate patient care, clinical radiation oncology, critical thinking and research. The program offers a didactic education in radiation therapy physics and dosimetry, treatment planning, and radiation and cancer biology provided by research and teaching faculty, along with close, mentoring relationships with clinical faculty members in which a multidisciplinary approach to state-of-the-art clinical management of cancer patients and translational research are especially emphasized.
Residency Program Applicants:
Please refer to the residency training program information pages using the links below:
UNC Hospitals Schools of Radiation Therapy and Medical Dosimetry
The clinical specialty of radiation oncology is a multi-disciplinary field requiring a cooperative effort between radiation oncologists, medical physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and oncology nurses.
Radiation therapists are integral members of the patient treatment team, whose duties include patient positioning during simulated and actual radiation treatments, the handling of radioactive materials, the recording and verification of doses, the fabrication of special radiation shields, filters and immobilization devices, and the monitoring of patients' general medical condition based on a knowledge of basic nursing care and the nature of radiation-induced side effects. In addition, close interpersonal relationships that often develop between patients and their therapists demand that the therapist also be a sympathetic caregiver and patient advocate.
The medical dosimetrist also plays an important role as a member of the cancer treatment team by specializing in the calculation of the radiation dose given to patients, and the planning of optimal treatment techniques using sophisticated computer hardware and software. As such, the medical dosimetrist must be able to apply the knowledge and skills of mathematics, medical physics, computer science, clinical oncology and cancer and radiation biology on a daily basis.
UNC Hospitals offers two, one year post-radiologic technology certificate programs in radiation therapy and medical dosimetry (candidates for the medical dosimetry program often have already completed training in radiation therapy). The programs are sponsored and supported by The University of North Carolina School of Medicine's Department of Radiation Oncology and The UNC Hospitals. Students in these programs receive clinical training in both existing and emerging radiation therapy practices and procedures, including treatment planning (2-, 2.5- and 3-dimensional planning, plus IMRT and IGRT), simulation, quality assurance, high and low dose rate brachytherapy, external beam therapy, stereotactic and CyberKnife radiosurgery, intraoperative radiation therapy, and total body irradiation.
The Department of Radiation Oncology occupies over 36,000 square feet of clinical, physics, computing, classroom and laboratory research space. The Department treats over 1,000 patients per year, and is an integral part of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 36 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. The Department also has active research programs in clinical oncology, radiation and cancer biology, and medical physics, and is an acknowledged world leader in the area of computer-aided radiotherapy treatment planning.
More details, prerequisites, and application deadlines for our certificate programs are described by following the program-specific links below.
The Radiation Therapy Program, accredited since 1969, is designed to prepare men and women for professional practice as radiation therapists in the healthcare specialty of radiation oncology. Upon completion of the one year program, graduates are eligible for national certification by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) in radiation therapy.
The next deadline for application to the Radiation Therapy Program is January 30, 2009.
The Medical Dosimetry Program, one of only two fully-accredited programs nationally, is designed to prepare men and women for professional practice as medical dosimetrists in the healthcare specialty of radiation oncology. Graduates of the one year program are eligible for national certification by the Medical Dosimetry Certification Board (MDCB) after six months of clinical experience.
The next deadline for application to the Medical Dosimetry Program is March 1, 2009.
Graduate and Postdoctoral Programs
Although the Department of Radiation Oncology itself is not degree-granting, the close ties between our faculty members and those from other departments, programs and curricula within the School of Medicine, the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Departments of Physics, Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering have given us access to top-quality graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. There are also opportunities for both undergraduate and medical students to complete research rotations in the Department. more→