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Radiation Therapy is a complex form of treatment.
It takes many professionals and support personnel
to provide you with good care. You will see some of
the individuals each day you come into the department
for your treatment, while you may never see some other
individuals because they work "behind the scenes" helping
the department to work safely and smoothly.
The Radiation Oncology department is staffed by many
individuals working together to provide you with the
best care possible.
Radiation
Oncologists and Resident Physicians
Radiation
Oncology Nurses and Nurse Aides
Radiation
Therapists
Dosimetrists
Medical
Physicists
Social
Workers
Database
Personnel
Billing
Office Personnel
Clerical
Personnel
RadiationOncology Support Personnel
Radiation Oncologists and Resident Physicians
Your physician in the Radiation Oncology department
is called a Radiation Oncologist. He or she is a specialist
in cancer treatment with radiation. The Radiation Oncologist
is responsible for planning your care and prescribing
your treatment. You will see your Radiation Oncologist
on your first visit to the Radiation Oncology department
and during the planning stages of your treatment. Once
your daily treatments begin, you will be scheduled
to see your Radiation Oncologist at least once a week.
During your weekly checks, your Radiation Oncologist
will monitor your progress.
Working along with the Radiation Oncologist is a Resident
Physician. He or she has completed four years of medical
school, one year of internship and is specializing
in the field of Radiation Oncology. You will also meet
your Resident Physician on your first visit as well
as see them during your weekly visits. The residents
rotate among the different Radiation Oncologists every
three months as part of their training.
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Radiation Oncology Nurses and Nurse
Aides
The
Radiation Oncology Nurses are registered nurses who
work closely with the Radiation Oncologist and other
staff to coordinate your care. Nurse Aides are specially
trained medical personnel who work with you and your
Nurse throughout your treatment. You will have one
primary Nurse working with you during all phases of
your treatment. Your primary Nurse will provide you
with oral and written information concerning your diagnosis,
treatment and self-care measures to manage potential
side effects of treatment. In addition, your Nurse
and Nurse Aide will be available for any questions
or concerns you may have regarding your treatment and
its side effects both during and after completion of
your treatment. If necessary, your Nurse may refer
you to the Social Worker, Dietitian or a community
agency.
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Radiation Therapists
Your daily treatment will be prescribed by your Radiation
Oncologist and will be given by Registered Radiation
Therapists. The Therapists have all received special
training in the operation of Linear Accelerators used
to deliver Radiation Therapy. The Therapists are also
responsible for scheduling your treatment appointments.
If you have any questions regarding your treatment
or need a different appointment time, the Therapists
will assist you.
Working along with the Radiation Therapists are students
training to become registered Radiation Therapists.
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Dosimetrists
Dosimetrists are responsible for assisting the Radiation
Oncologist in planning your treatment through the use
of computers, CAT scans, special x-ray films and body
measurements. The Radiation Oncologist gives the Dosimetrist
guidelines for the dose to be delivered. The Dosimetrist
then works within these guidelines to optimize the
size, shape and arrangement of the area that will receive
the dose of radiation. The goal of the Dosimetrist
is to design a combination of fields which adequately
treats the area of disease while avoiding areas of
sensitive normal tissues. The Dosimetrist also calculates
the dose being delivered to your body and assists the
Medical Physicist in quality assurance.
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Medical Physicists
Medical Physicists are specialists in the measurement
and delivery of radiation. They are responsible for
the overall safety and accuracy of the treatment machines
as well as for the computers used to calculate your
treatments. The Medical Physicist may be called in
to assist the Radiation Oncologists or Therapists with
additional measurements regarding your treatment. The
Medical Physicist also checks your treatment record
weekly while you are under treatment to make sure it
is accurate.
You may not have much interaction with the Dosimetrist
and Medical Physicist, but they are integral members
of the Radiation Oncology department.
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Social Workers
The
Social Worker's job entails answering questions about
transportation, housing and community resources, such
as the American Cancer Society and the Social Security
Administration. In addition, the Social Worker can
help you with stress, depression, anxiety or any other
issue that may be making it difficult for you to get
through treatment. You can stop by the office in the
clinic area anytime.
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Database Personnel
Data collection is an important tool in the treatment
of cancer. The database staff includes several people
who manage the wealth of patient data collected in
all the hospitals in the Radiation Oncology network
including U of M, Ingham, Foote, Providence, and the
VAMC. These data are then analyzed for quality assurance
and to answer research questions.
The Database Administrator's job includes designing
and developing electronic databases used to store patient
data and retrieving the data for review, analysis,
and quality assurance.
The Central Database Manager and Database Clerk enter
patient visit data into the database. These data include
diagnosis, disease status, therapy plan, and demographic
information.
The Breast and Prostate Data Managers help to enter
and maintain information regarding these most common
types of cancer. They collect data from electronic
databases, patient charts, and data forms.
Three Clinical Trial Protocol Managers work closely
with doctors, nurses, dosimetrists, radiation therapists
and protocol sponsors to ensure that the data collected
in complete and accurate. The Protocol Managers interact
with patients to help determine eligibility for clinical
trials, enroll patients on trials, and submit Institutional
Review Board for Human Subject Research (IRBMED) applications.
The Outreach Database Coordinator oversees the Radiation
Oncology protocols at affiliate hospitals. This includes
patient enrollment, data collection, data management,
and data entry. This Coordinator also submits regulatory
documents to all affiliate Institutional Review Board
(IRB) offices. The Outreach Coordinator has help from
a part-time protocol manager at Ingham Hospital who
enrolls protocol patients and does IRB submissions.
The Database Coordinator's job involves overseeing
all aspects of the database staff. This includes revising
databases, data quality review, Institutional Review
Board submissions, data entry and retrieval, personnel
changes, work distribution, supervising affiliate hospital
work flow, and coordinating with department groups
and agencies outside Radiation Oncology.
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Billing Office Personnel
A member of the Billing Office is available to discuss
your insurance benefits relating to radiation therapy
and answer any questions you may have relating to balances
for which you are responsible.
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Clerical Personnel
Our Clerical staff is here to greet you and assist
you with your scheduling needs. The Clerks obtain your
medical records and prepare the paperwork for your
clinic visits. All clinic and treatment planning appointments
are scheduled by the Clerks. They will provide you
with all the necessary information that you need for
your scheduled appointments.
The Clerks can also direct you to the proper people
to obtain information on parking, housing or billing
questions.
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Radiation Oncology
Support Personnel
Other individuals who play a role in your care, but
who you may not be aware of, are the support staff
of the department. The Administrators, Receptionists,
and Secretaries, all help to ensure the smooth operation
of the department, so that when you arrive for treatment,
your Radiation Oncologist, the Nurses and Therapists
can concentrate directly on your care.
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