Curriculum

Residents work one-on-one with a different attending physician every 2 months. Our teaching facilities range from a University-based teaching hospital (University of Minnesota Medical Center), to a community setting (Fairview Lakes and Fairview Maple Grove) as well as the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. Rotating with different faculty physicians at various sites allows for exposure to different interaction styles and a diverse patient population and disease types.

Residents are required to spend two months working with medical physicists and dosimetrists. The intent of this rotation will be for the residents to become intimately familiar with standard planning techniques. The residents will be introduced to dosimetry and will be required to participate in the planning of a variety of “standard” cases.  Additionally, residents will also participate in the QA of radiation therapy equipment as it applies to clinical practice. 

Important areas of focus on this rotation include:

•    Plan Evaluation
•    Dose specification
•    Inhomogeneity corrections (TG-65 https://www.aapm.org/pubs/reports/RPT_85.pdf)
•    Plan normalization
•    Dose-volume histograms (DVH)
•    Monitor unit calculations
•    Stereotactic planning and set-up.
•    Total Body Irradiation: planning and calculations
•    IMRT planning and physics quality assurance
•    HDR brachytherapy planning/checks
•    Tomotherapy planning and daily QA
•    Quality Assurance, Linac QA, Portal Imaging, kVCT
•    Daily checks: accelerator and simulator
•    Monthly checks: accelerator and simulator
•    Quality Management Program (QMP) for brachytherapy
•    Physics chart checks

Residents are required to complete a two-month rotation in medical oncology and pediatric oncology with colleagues at the Clinics and Surgery Center (CSC) and Masonic Children’s Hospital.  Residents serve as members of the clinic team and conduct patient evaluation and follow-up in the Oncology Clinic and participate in oncology conferences.  Emphasis is on the clinical evaluation and management of cancer patients and residents are expected to actively participate in all aspects of patient evaluation, treatment and care.

Residents are expected to work on and complete at least one research project during 4 years of training. Up to 6 months of time divided into 3 blocks will be allotted to work on this project. A variety of resources will be provided to facilitate resident research activities, including assistance from our knowledgeable department research administrative team. Once a project is secured, an advisory committee will be formed to keep track of research progress.  You can find additional information about research activities in our department and the Medical School on these websites. 

Elective rotation can be arranged based on resident’s interest and may include away rotation, proton rotation (at Mayo Clinic), additional research activity etc.