University of Michigan - Flint

The structure of the Radiation Therapy program includes two years of general education requirements and pre-professional courses. The professional program begins in the Summer of the junior year and continues for 22 consecutive months through April of the senior year. The didactic classes in the junior year are taught on the University of Michigan-Flint campus. Didactic classes taught in the senior year, are held at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. The clinical practicum begins September of the junior year. Juniors attend clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00am to 3:30pm. Seniors attend Monday-Friday from 7:00am to 3:30pm in the Spring and Summer and in the Fall and Winter semester on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:00am to 3:30pm. All students are required to complete one week on the early shift to learn quality assurance procedures in RTT 403, 404 and 405. Students will never exceed forty hours of combined classroom and clinical time per week.    

Following completion of prerequisite courses in the freshman/sophomore years:  

In order to graduate, the student must:

1. Complete all required courses with a minimum of 130 credit hours

2. Complete all didactic courses and clinical rotations

3. Complete all clinical objectives

4. Complete all projects and assignments given during the professional core

5. Maintain a B- in all courses taken after admission into the Program

6. Have all fees paid

7. Demonstrate all competencies required of a Radiation Therapist, including but not limited to the following:  

• Practice effective oral and written communications
• Maintain records of treatments administered
• Perform basic mathematical functions
• Demonstrate knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathology
• Demonstrate knowledge of radiation physics in radiation interactions and radiation protection techniques                                   
• Provide basic patient care and CPR
• Deliver a planned course of radiation therapy
• Verify a physician's prescribed course of radiation therapy and recognize errors in computation 
• Demonstrate awareness of patterns of physical and emotional stress exhibited by patients
• Produce and utilize immobilization and beam directional devices
• Demonstrate knowledge of preparation of commonly used brachytherapy sources
• Demonstrate knowledge of methods of calibration of equipment and quality assurance
• Prepare isodose summations
• Detect malfunctioning equipment
• Demonstrate knowledge of rules and regulations for radiation safety and detect defects that pose a radiation hazard
• Demonstrate knowledge of functions of equipment and accessories
• Demonstrate knowledge of methods of patient follow-up
• Apply wedge and compensating filters
• Recognize patients' clinical progress, complications, and demonstrate knowledge of when to withhold treatment until a physician can be consulted
• Interact with patients and families concerning the physical and psychological needs of patients
• Demonstrate knowledge of record and verify systems

Following Graduation students are eligible to take the ARRT Certification Examination to become registered Radiation therapists.  For more information on the exam go to www.arrt.org  See the University Catalog for course descriptions.