The certificate in radiation therapy is intended for students who are already registered radiologic technologists or registered nurses. Potential students who have graduated from an accredited health program with a minimum of two years of study are also eligible. Courses that should be completed prior to enrollment in a radiation therapy program include college algebra, human anatomy and physiology, radiation protection, radiation physics and general psychology.
Certificate programs may be completed in 12 to 15 months. Programs such as the one at Loma Linda University include courses in radiation therapy procedures, radiation oncology, radiation biology, radiation therapy affiliation and pathology. NHTI Concord's Community College also includes courses in clinical practice, treatment planning, radiation therapy physics and sectional anatomy and pathology. During the completion of the certificate program, observation in a radiation therapy department is required.
The goals of the associate degree curriculum include learning to plan, administer and monitor patient care, using principles of radiation safely and developing communication techniques with patients. Pre-requisites for the associate degree in radiation therapy, which may be completed as an additional semester to the program, include anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, physics and a combination of geometry and trigonometry. Once in a program, the curriculum includes clinical practice and supplemental instruction at clinical sites. The completion of the associate degree makes the graduate eligible to take the national registry exam given by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists.
Required courses for completion of the associate degree include: Principles of Oncology, Principles of Dose Calculations, Radiation Therapy Physics, Principles and Practice of Radiation Therapy and Imaging and Processing in Radiation Oncology. Principles of Simulation, Legal Issues, Radiologic Sciences, Sectional Anatomy, Psychosocial Aspects of Cancer Care, Pathology and Radiation Biology are also required courses in the program at Bellevue College. Additionally, multiple courses in treatment planning and clinical practice are required to complete the degre.