WRAD Event: Students Step Into the World of Radiotherapy

Ahead of World Radiotherapy Awareness Day, students at the University of Sydney Westmead School had the opportunity to participate in an interactive radiation oncology workshop.

One student who attended the workshop, Dana Miller, said:

“It was such an amazing experience learning about radiotherapy and the most fun part of the cancer teaching ‘block'! My friend and I want to spend more time shadowing a radiation oncologist to learn more. Radiotherapy is fascinating!” 

Traditionally, radiotherapy is underrepresented in medical student curricula compared to other cancer treatments.1,2 This gap in training prompted the beginning of this workshop at the University a few years ago. The aim was to ensure students had an adequate level of knowledge to help their patients in the future. 

The Importance of Radiotherapy Education 

All health professionals should know the basics about modern radiotherapy, especially doctors, who will inevitably come into contact with patients with cancer. At least half of people with cancer need radiotherapy so all doctors need some knowledge of this treatment as central to cancer care. They will either refer people for radiotherapy, support them before, during, or after radiotherapy, and/or look after cancer patients on the ward, in the community, or presenting to Emergency with problems requiring radiotherapy. Some will even train as radiation oncologists!

An Interactive Experience

Students come into the radiation oncology department to physically see the steps in radiotherapy planning and treatment, including seeing first-hand the amazing equipment in action and meeting the radiotherapy professional team members. A study showed that the students loved all aspects of the education session and that it clearly improved their knowledge around radiotherapy.3 

Prof. Sandra Turner said: 

“Once we’d demonstrated the value of the workshop, it was impossible for it not to be cemented into the medical student curriculum going forward. Students can see the power and sophistication of modern radiotherapy as a highly effective cancer treatment. They interact with people having radiotherapy who are mostly well outpatients. They also witness the wonderful team-based nature of radiation oncology. It is a great activity for staff morale as well to see the enthusiasm of these young future doctors.”

Based on the positive feedback it became a compulsory part of the medical school training and was replicated in all the five teaching hospitals aligned with the University. 

Alison Brown, who is an experienced Radiation Therapist and Quality Assurance Expert, helps coordinate the workshop ‘stations’. She reflects: 

“It is such a good opportunity for us to be able to show students directly what an advanced-high-tech treatment radiotherapy is and for them to understand the crucial role that the whole team has in ensuring people are treated safely and with compassion.”

Currently there are around 300 students per year going through the workshop, and other universities are following suit. Looking forward to the launch of World Radiotherapy Awareness Day this year, students were asked at the end of the recent workshop if they would like to help us celebrate this event. They were delighted! To reiterate Dana’s sentiment “Radiotherapy is fascinating!”

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1.  Chelvarajah, R., Windsor, A., Nicholls, L. et al. Junior Doctor Evaluation of Radiation Oncology Education and Training in Medical Schools and Prevocational Training in Australia. J Canc Educ 36, 646–651 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-019-01678-0 

2.  Bravery, B.D., Shi, K., Nicholls, L. et al. Oncology and Radiation Oncology Awareness in Final Year Medical Students in Australia and New Zealand. J Canc Educ 35, 1227–1236 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-019-01586-3 

3.  Swanton C, Morris L, Agustin C, Brown A, Turner S. Improving medical student education in radiation oncology: Integrating and evaluating an experiential interdisciplinary workshop into the medical student curriculum. J Med Imaging Radiat Oncol. 2022 Aug;66(5):688-693. doi: 10.1111/1754-9485.13392. Epub 2022 Mar 6. PMID: 35253393.