Academic Courses > DOS 542
DOS 542 - Quality Assurance
Course Description
This class was a dive back into the physics side of radiation therapy. A big part of what physicists do in radiation therapy departments is to maintain equipment within narrowly defined tolerances of operation, and to perform maintenance on those systems when they fall out of specification. I spent time with therapists during morning QA in the CT simulator and at the linear accelerators, and I watched the physicists perform a variety of QA tests on all of the treatment machines. I was even fortunate enough to be able watch the process of rebuilding and recalibrating the internal mechanisms of a high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy afterloader system.
Assessment
The grading for this class was a bit unique compared to the other courses in the program. We had the standard set of weekly discussion posts and quizzes, but we also built up a spreadsheet that covered all of the QA procedures in our clinics, one topic at a time each week. This spreadsheet will be valuable as a study guide when I am preparing for my CMD exam next year. Each week, we critiqued each other's tables and were able to see similarities and differences in the practices and procedures at each of our clinics. I found out Loyola's physics faculty is a bit more stringent in the acceptable tolerances for some of our machines than what is recommended as common practice by the various AAPM reports.
Discussions
Week 1&2: QA of Linear Accelerators
Week 3: QA of IGRT Systems
Week 4: QA of Brachytherapy and Treatment Planning System
Week 3: QA of IGRT Systems
Week 4: QA of Brachytherapy and Treatment Planning System
Reflections
At the conclusion of each course, students are asked to reflect on what they have learned about the material and about themselves. The reflection is guided by five questions:
The new knowledge and skills I gained during this course were...
We covered some of the principles of how radiation is measured in prior classes, but the actual formal process of periodically checking and recording all of the output and machine parameters of our treatment systems was new to me. I had a general sense that precision was critical, but I did not really understand how that precision is tested and measured.
The new knowledge and skills will benefit me by...
Now that I know more about how imaging systems and treatment machines are tested, I will be able to better assist in spotting problems during my planning process. This will be helpful if there is a problem with patient positioning in the simulator or on a linac, since I may be able to detect inaccuracies in the setup of the equipment.
I struggle with...
There is quite a bit of detail in all of the documents and reports that shape the QA process. Memorizing the tolerances of every single test, and even remembering what every single test is, will be a difficult process.
I feel pretty good about...
I got a lot more comfortable with HDR brachytherapy machinery over the course of this class. I actually got to see two source changes in short succession. One was scheduled, and one was an emergency rebuild due to possible biological contamination of the source wire and dummy wire after an interstitial catheter was breached. The rebuild process replaced every part of the machine that might touch those two wires. I got to see the source exchange QA process twice.
Other reflective thoughts...
It was nice to spend more time on the physics side of the department again. I got a better appreciation for the work they do, and it was fun to go through the process of setting up measurement equipment and gathering data for the various QA tests.
The new knowledge and skills I gained during this course were...
We covered some of the principles of how radiation is measured in prior classes, but the actual formal process of periodically checking and recording all of the output and machine parameters of our treatment systems was new to me. I had a general sense that precision was critical, but I did not really understand how that precision is tested and measured.
The new knowledge and skills will benefit me by...
Now that I know more about how imaging systems and treatment machines are tested, I will be able to better assist in spotting problems during my planning process. This will be helpful if there is a problem with patient positioning in the simulator or on a linac, since I may be able to detect inaccuracies in the setup of the equipment.
I struggle with...
There is quite a bit of detail in all of the documents and reports that shape the QA process. Memorizing the tolerances of every single test, and even remembering what every single test is, will be a difficult process.
I feel pretty good about...
I got a lot more comfortable with HDR brachytherapy machinery over the course of this class. I actually got to see two source changes in short succession. One was scheduled, and one was an emergency rebuild due to possible biological contamination of the source wire and dummy wire after an interstitial catheter was breached. The rebuild process replaced every part of the machine that might touch those two wires. I got to see the source exchange QA process twice.
Other reflective thoughts...
It was nice to spend more time on the physics side of the department again. I got a better appreciation for the work they do, and it was fun to go through the process of setting up measurement equipment and gathering data for the various QA tests.
Academic Courses > DOS 542
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Published October 18, 2015
Fourth Semester, 10 Months into Internship |