So You Want to Become a Dosimetrist...

Taking the road less traveled

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Historically, medical dosimetry education has been primarily “on-the-job” training. Learn about several initiations the American Association of Medical Dosimetrists has taken to assist in providing educational support to future and current medical dosimetrists.

To rectify this discrepancy, the American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD) has initiated several processes to assist in providing educational support to future and current medical dosimetrists. The organization created the Gunilla Bentel Scholarship Fund (GBSF), which once fully-funded, will enable the AAMD to award a scholarship annually to a student enrolled in an accredited medical dosimetry program.

The GBSF committee is establishing criteria for scholarship eligibility as well as continuing to solicit donations for award money. In addition, the GBSF committee and education committee is researching the logistics and cost for developing an educational foundation. By implementing a formal foundation, the AAMD can provide additional avenues for educational support. The AAMD also has an education fund, which was created to support a variety of educational goals of the organization. This fund has also provided award money for activities, such as AAMD's Writing Competition, as well as fund travel expenses for educational purposes.

The AAMD Education Committee has been committed to improving the educational needs of the profession. One manifestation of this commitment is the "Medical Dosimetry Curriculum Guide," which the committee created to provide an outline of educational material to be included in medical dosimetry program curriculum.

In the past, the committee was responsible for evaluating and recognizing formal medical dosimetry programs, which has now been replaced by the Joint Review Committee for Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) accreditation process. This committee worked with the JRCERT to establish medical dosimetry educational standards for programs seeking accreditation. In addition, this committee has taken several other steps toward creating and maintaining the highest educational standards for the profession and will continue to do so for years to come.

Furthermore, the AAMD has successfully continued to provide different options for continuing education credits for individuals to maintain their medical dosimetry certification. The AAMD annual educational meeting provides many continuing education credits for the profession. With the success of the annual meetings, the organization was able to support the various regional meetings which have been taking place throughout the nation the past several years. The AAMD has also continued to provide publication of the Medical Dosimetry journal. Published quarterly, this journal offers numerous articles and quizzes available for dosimetrists to obtain continuing education credits. The Directed Journal Reading (DJR) quizzes are also available for online completion via the AAMD Web site. Offering several educational opportunities is an attribute that demonstrates the success of the organization.

The AAMD also partnered with the American Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) to establish a program award fund to subsidize the costs of initial and continuing programmatic accreditation of medical dosimetry programs.

The ASTRO Education and Development Fund approved funds to support medical dosimetry programs seeking accreditation through the JRCERT. The programs will be reviewed by the AAMD GBSF committee, until the "Education and Research Foundation" is implemented, with results sent to ASTRO for distribution of the financial award. These awards consist of five grants of $25,000 annually – five grants of $5,000 each. Also, programmatic accreditation will ensure a standard of quality in education for individuals entering the profession.

On Jan. 1, 2004, the JRCERT began accrediting medical dosimetry programs. Programmatic accreditation may help to encourage the development of more college-based educational programs, providing more accommodations for individuals recruited into the profession of medical dosimetry. To date, there are no accredited medical dosimetry programs; however, there are programs in the application process or evaluation for accreditation. As programs become accredited, these programs will be listed on the AAMD Web site and JRCERT Web site at www.jrcert.org. The AAMD Education Committee has summarized the benefits of JRCERT accreditation for medical dosimetry:

• Patients are assured of safe, high quality healthcare services.
• Educational administrators are assured of program quality to minimize institutional liability and increase their ability to compete for students and sources of funding.
  
• Students and graduates are assured of the knowledge and skills needed to competently practice their chosen profession.
  
• Faculty are assured that their programs keep pace with the profession and meet nationally-recognized standards.
  
• State licensing boards and other government agencies are assured that practitioners have met recognized educational standards.
• Employers are assured that prospective employees have the education and skills necessary to deliver quality care.
  
• Clinical settings are assured of a continuing source of competent employees to staff their radiology and radiation therapy departments.
  

Following implementation of medical dosimetry accreditation, the MDCB made changes to routes of eligibility for exam applicants. Starting in 2008, the MDCB requires Route 1 applicants to be a graduate of a formal JRCERT-accredited educational medical dosimetry program or a program that completed the review process and is awaiting approval. The current routes of eligibility for exam applicants are located on the MDCB Web page at www.mdcb.org.

There are various routes of formal educational training in medical dosimetry. The most common formal training program is a 12-month certification program. Typically, the students complete clinical and didactic curriculum simultaneously during the 12-month period. Degree programs are available as well. However, most of these programs require completion of a majority of didactic curriculum prior to the clinical internship training. The options of degree programs vary based on the educational background of the applicant. Degree programs are available for registered radiation therapists as well as non-radiation therapists who have degrees in a different major.

There are numerous options of educational programs available to individuals pursuing medical dosimetry education. These programs have not been reviewed nor are they recognized by the AAMD, as the organization no longer evaluates medical dosimetry programs due to JRCERT accreditation.

There are several programs that have been providing medical dosimetry education for many years now. Although the number of students graduating annually was small, these programs provided highly trained medical dosimetrists to the workforce. The need for more dosimetrists trained in formal programs has been an important goal of the AAMD. This goal, along with support from other organizations, is providing a foundation for future dosimetry students and programs.

Educational Support

For development of new programs, there is the AAMD curriculum guide, programmatic accreditation by JRCERT and the ASTRO grant. For students enrolled in an accredited medical dosimetry program, there is the Gunilla Bentel Scholarship Fund. For certified medical dosimetrists to attain continuing education (CE) credits, there is the AAMD annual and regional meetings and the Medical Dosimetry journal DJR program. And for promotion of medical dosimetry education, there is the AAMD Education Fund.

The AAMD has many educational goals for the future of the profession. The establishment of an education foundation is a very important issue currently being researched. This is a goal that the organization would like to see implemented in the near future. The AAMD also aspires to create other educational activities that would provide additional means of obtaining CE credits. Possibilities could include items such as video presentations of lectures from the annual or regional meetings or online educational activities via the AAMD Web site.

The AAMD has achieved many goals throughout the 31 years of service to its members. One of its greatest achievements, however, is the advancement of quality educational standards in medical dosimetry. This professional organization strives to provide opportunities for education and continues its efforts to represent the medical dosimetry profession.

— Nishele Lenards, BS, CMD, is the dosimetry program director at the University of Wisconsin – Lacrosse. Questions and comments can be directed to editorial@rt-image.com.