Radiation Oncology Clerkship

The department offers clerkships in radiation oncology for interested medical students, both at UNC and from other US medical schools. Clinical fellows from other UNC departments, physician’s assistant and pharmacy trainees, and nurse practitioners are also eligible to take part in aspects of the clerkship program.

The clerkship is a month-long experience for those who intend to pursue a career in radiation oncology. Participants are required to give a morning conference presentation at the clerkship’s end on an oncology-related topic of their choosing.

Students are expected to work up patients, perform physical exams independently, and present cases to faculty physicians. They are exposed to treatment planning, simulation, and delivery using linear accelerators, CyberKnife, tomotherapy, and brachytherapy. Didactic lectures provide background on the history of radiation oncology, and on basic principles of radiation physics and radiation/cancer biology. The students are evaluated by clinical faculty and staff, based on the ACGME competencies of medical knowledge, patient care, interpersonal skills and communication, practice based learning and improvement, and professionalism.