Further Education in Radiotherapy Programme description

The further education programme in radiotherapy is a full-time programme with a duration of one year. The study programme has a total scope of 60 credits (ECTS). The programme qualifies students for independent work as radiotherapists pursuant to the Regulations relating to Radiation Protection and Use of Radiation (the Radiation Protection Regulations) Section 48 letter e).

The field of radiotherapy is in continuous development. Developments in medical technology are rapid and wide-ranging. New knowledge is being obtained in the areas of oncology, radiobiology and clinical physics. The amount of information about individual patients is increasing, and the available treatment is becoming more and more advanced. This enables more individually adapted treatment that aims to achieve improved life expectancy and/or better quality of life for the patients.

The quality of the available treatment is dependent on the education of radiotherapists who are highly qualified in all areas of the field of radiotherapy. The further education programme in radiotherapy gives the students the necessary basis for working as radiotherapists and a basis for subsequently keeping up-to-date with developments in the field.

Radiotherapists deal with patients in a serious condition, which places great demands on their professional practice. Cancer patients need close follow-up, good information and necessary care. Many patients receive treatment over a long period, and the radiotherapy personnel are often their primary contact.

Radiotherapy is very much an activity where success depends on good cooperation between several disciplines. Improvements in radiotherapy require the different professions to have a good knowledge of each other’s discipline. Radiotherapists must therefore have good knowledge of the work of oncologists and medical physicians.

The programme description was established under the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet. The programme description also takes into account the European core curriculum for radiation therapists developed by the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), and the European Federation of Radiographer Societies’ (EFRS) benchmarking document for EQF level 7.

The programme’s target group is radiographers.

Bachelor’s degree in radiography or equivalent.

Five additional points can be awarded to applicants who provide documentation that they are prioritized for admission to the upcoming academic year by a radiation therapy center.

Reference is made to the Regulations relating to Admission to Studies at OsloMet for more detailed provisions on admission requirements, calculation of points and ranking of applicants.

The purpose of the further education in radiotherapy is to educate patient-oriented, independent and reflective professionals who will engage in interdisciplinary cooperation. The candidates are expected to acquire competence that ensures that they practise their profession in accordance with applicable requirements and guidelines.

After completing the programme, the candidates should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The candidate

• has in-depth knowledge of oncology and cancer therapy, including personalised cancer treatment
• has in-depth knowledge of cancer care that is relevant to radiotherapy patients and their next of kin
• has advanced knowledge of the biological aspects that form the basis for radiotherapy
• has advanced knowledge of the physical and technical aspects that form the basis for radiotherapy
• has advanced knowledge of the radiotherapy process, treatment preparations and the clinical pathway involved in radiotherapy
• has in-depth knowledge of quality assurance and control, monitoring and verification in radiotherapy
• has detailed knowledge of laws, regulations and recommendations relating to radiotherapy
• can assess knowledge in new fields of radiotherapy

Skills

The candidate

• knows how to identify and attend to the patient’s need for care and follow-up in connection with radiotherapy
• knows how to use communication techniques and communicative competence when dealing with patients and their next of kin
• can carry out radiotherapy in accordance with applicable guidelines and procedures in an independent manner
• can critically analyse and assess planned radiotherapy based on physical and biological aspects
• can critically analyse and assess quality assurance and quality control methods in radiotherapy
• can collect, critically assess and refer to information and subject matter in order to structure, formulate and communicate professional arguments
• can analyse and critically assess research results and other sources of information in order to make use of such information in his/her professional practice

General competence

The candidate

• knows how to treat patients and next of kin with empathy and respect
• can practise the profession in a safe and responsible manner in accordance with legal requirements and ethical standards for professional practice
• can organise, critically assess and quality assure his/her own work
• masters the forms of expression used in radiotherapy and can communicate theories, problems and solutions relating to the field
• can perform evidence-based work to ensure updated professional practice and development
• can initiate and contribute constructively to work in teams and demonstrates an understanding of other professions’ expertise and areas of work and responsibility
• can contribute to interdisciplinary cooperation on developing the quality of radiotherapy

The programme consists of five compulsory courses:

STRÅL6010 – Scientific Subjects and Quality Assurance in Radiotherapy The course covers basic knowledge of radiotherapy: clinical physics, dosimetry, knowledge of equipment/machines and quality assurance.

STRÅL6020 – Oncology and Cancer Care The course covers general and specific oncology, and communication with and care for cancer patients, with special emphasis on the care needs that arise during radiotherapy.

STRÅLPRA – Clinical Practice in Radiotherapy The course consists of two periods of clinical training (STRÅLPRA-101 and STRÅLPRA-102) and covers treatment planning, performance and quality assurance of radiotherapy, as well as patient care.

STRÅL6110 – Radiobiology and Treatment Planning in RadiotherapyThe course covers treatment plans, treatment planning, assessment of radiobiological effects and quality assurance in radiotherapy.

STRÅL6300 – Protons in Radiotherapy The course covers the physical, biological and technical aspects that form the basis for proton therapy.

The courses build on each other with increasing requirements for knowledge and understanding of radiography. All courses conclude in a final assessment/exam.

The academic year is 40 weeks long, and the expected workload is 40 hours per week. This includes scheduled activities, students’ own activity and exams.

Study progress

The following provisions on progress apply to the study programme:

• Students must have passed STRÅL6010 before they can take the exam in STRÅL6020.
• Students must have passed STRÅL6020 before they can take the exam in STRÅL6110.
• STRÅL6020 and the clinical training period STRÅLPRA-101 must be approved before the student can start the clinical training period STRÅLPRA-102.
• Students must have passed STRÅL6110 before they can take the exam in STRÅL6300.

A significant part of the learning will take place through the students' own experiences and work experience. This will be facilitated through group work, exercises and work-related assignments. Between teaching sessions, the students will receive assignments related to the course activities.

The course requires active participation. Therefore there is compulsory attendance requirement for the teaching sessions. Compulsory attendance is considered a coursework requirement and must be complied with in order to take the exam. The minimum attendance requirement is 80 %. If a student's absence exceeds 20 %, he/she must submit an alternative coursework requirement. If a student's absence exceeds 25 %, he/she loses the right to take the exam. The reason why attendance is compulsory is that the student will in this way acquire competence necessary to meet the objectives of the course that he/she would be unable to acquire from solely reading the syllabus and/or taking the exam.

Compulsory activities must be completed and approved by the given deadline in order for the student to take the exam.

The exam in the course is a;written individual home exam over a period of 72 hours (3 days). The hand-in must have a scope of;8-10 pages excl. table of contents and list of references. Font and font size: Arial/Calibri;12 points. Line spacing;1.5.

All aids are permitted, as long as the rules for source referencing are complied with.

The assessment arrangements are intended to assess the students regularly throughout the programme in order to promote learning, while also providing information about study progress and the results achieved to the programme and the student. The assessment of exams and clinical practice is in accordance with the applicable provisions set out in the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges and the Regulations Relating to Studies and Examinations at OsloMet.

Detailed information about the exam will be provided in the guidelines for the individual exams well before the exam date.

Resit and rescheduled exams are carried out in the same manner as the ordinary exam unless otherwise specified in the course description.

The grade awarded for a written exam can be appealed, cf. Section 5-3 of the Act relating to Universities and University Colleges.

Assessment of clinical training

The practical course STRÅLPRA consists of two periods of clinical training: STRÅLPRA-101 and STRÅLPRA-102. The grade pass or fail will be awarded for each training period. Credits are awarded on completion of both training periods.

The coursework requirements must be met in order to receive a final assessment in the course. To pass the clinical training, the student must have met the compulsory attendance requirements and achieved the learning outcomes for the course.

The student must attend at least 90 per cent of the scheduled activities in clinical practice. The student will be allowed to make up for absence of between 10 and 20 per cent by agreement with the clinical training supervisor. Absence in excess of 20 per cent means that the whole period must be retaken. This leads to delayed progress and must be seen in conjunction with the student’s individual education plan.

Programme description:

Adopted by the department board at the Department of Health Sciences on 28 March 2001.

Latest amendments approved by the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences on 16 June 2024.

The programme description applies to students starting the programme in 2024.