The New BSc (Hons)

Radiotherapy & Oncology

Programme

Update curriculum to reflect changing knowledge & skills required for practice

Take a Foundation approach to level 4 Integrate changes to University Assessment

strategy & respond to student feedback Promote PPDP as a lifelong skill Make good use of resources & equipment Continue to provide effective student support Further improve preparation for placement &

practice Encourage development of ‘Graduate level’ skills

Problem solving Communication Team working Reflective practice Patient centred care Understanding Service user involvement Professional attitudes Cultural awareness

Professional development Evaluating practice & new ways of

working- entrepreneurship Development of transferable skills Use of online learning & IT Searching for & interacting with

literature Basic statistics Writing skills

BSc (Hons) Radiotherapy & Oncology

Certificate of Higher Education in Oncology Science & Technology (Level 4)

Diploma of Higher Education in Oncology Science & Technology (Level 5)

BSc in Oncology Science & Technology (Level 6)

Students need help to bridge the gap between previous education/life/work and expectations of university academic and clinical work

So lets support & up-skill students over this year Key skills in early modules Use assessment & feedback to identify strengths

& areas for development- academic & clinical supervision & mentorship

Use peer assessment & group work to develop teamwork & student peer support

Include the service user experience Develop autonomous learning

Emphasis on extended induction for students and the development of foundation skills:basic mathematics literacy skills, support for essay writing use of referencing systemscompletion of assignments & PPDP time management and study skills

Begin development of wide range of skills e.g. oral presentation, use of evidence base, poster design, PPDP etc

Think retention!Settling in at universityMentorship from other studentsSocialisation

More contact time in academic Variety of sessions lots of practical work Good preparation for clinical placement e.g.

dealing with difficult situations, patient communication etc

Development of practical skills through simulation- not overly high expectations in early clinical practice

Year 1, Level 4 Semester 1 Semester 2

Principles of Radiation Oncology 1

30 credits Principles of Radiation Oncology 2

20 credits

Foundations of Professional Practice 20 credits

Radiotherapy Physics and Equipment 1

20 credits

Clinical Education 30 credits

AIM: To develop in you a fundamental knowledge of

relational macroscopic, radiographic and cross-sectional anatomy to underpin academic study and radiotherapy practice.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: BY ENGAGING SUCCESSFULLY WITH THIS MODULE

YOU WILL BE ABLE TO Define and begin to accurately and appropriately apply

terms fundamental to anatomy, physiology and radiotherapy practice.

Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of 3-dimensional relational anatomy

Describe the features of major anatomical organs and structures

Identify major organs and features on images from a relevant range of modalities

Lectures & Practical's using VERT & Online resources

Terminology associated with anatomy, physiology and fundamental radiotherapy techniques/patient positioning.

Anatomical systems:Skeletal, Integumentary, Cardiovascular,

Respiratory, Lymphatic, Digestive, Urinary, Male Reproductive, Female Reproductive and Neurological

Radiographic anatomy:Structure identification on conventional X-ray,

MRI and CT

Year 2, Level 5 Semester 1 Semester 2

Informing and Evaluating Professional

Practice 10 credits

Collaboration in Professional Practice 20 credits

Principles of Radiation Oncology 3

30 credits Principles of Radiation Oncology 4

30 credits

Radiotherapy Physics and Equipment 2 20 credits

Clinical Education

30 credits

Competence for Practice 1

140 Credits

120 Credits

Largely unchanged some re-ordering of topics

Emphasis on effective integration & assessment of anatomy

More emphasis on service user experience- new developments piloted & evaluated very well with students

Better links with physics & clinical

Integration of dose calculation into year 1 included as key part of assessment

Removal of some redundant topic areas Less emphasis on planning as a skill on

its own – better integrated into learning e.g. Anatomy, treatment approaches, patient set up error etc

New emphasis on imaging/interpretation Better links to oncology & clinical

Year 3 Level 6 Research Dissertation

30 credits

Collaborative Working In professional Practice 20 credits

Specialised Techniques & Advances in

Cancer Therapy 20 credits

3D Planning and Treatment 20 credits

Clinical Education

30 credits

Competence for Practice 2

AIM: To enable you to critically assess issues that impact upon accuracy and

reproducibility during the radiotherapy process and to debate how contemporary and leading edge technology can improve treatment delivery and verification, within the relevant legal, ethical and professional frameworks.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: BY ENGAGING SUCCESSFULLY WITH THIS MODULE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO

 Discuss potential sources of random and systematic error in radiotherapy and make informed judgements as to their significance.

Critically appraise methods of immobilisation in relation to managing patient and organ motion for a range of treatment sites.

Critically evaluate the techniques and equipment available for delivering accurate and reproducible treatments, making informed judgements regarding their suitability for purpose.

Critically evaluate the techniques and equipment available for verifying treatment delivery, making informed judgements regarding their suitability for purpose.

Effectively use the literature to build arguments and create discussion and critically evaluate and make judgements about published evidence in the context of current and future practice.

Communicate ideas and information effectively through relevant media in appropriately presented work.

Organ motion Immobilisation of patients Gating techniques 4-D Conformal Therapy Functional and biological imaging Image Guided Radiotherapy (IGRT) including portal

imaging Imaging dose and IRMER Image handling and fusion Stereotactic radiotherapy/radiosurgery Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) Tomotherapy Adaptive planning

Skills for health Service Improvement

strategies Mentorship by/for

students Recognising

transferable skills Drive service forward in

future Understanding &

application of KSF & HPC SOP etc

Responsibility as a member of the profession

Current policy and documents affecting practice

Incident reporting and errors

The HPC Continual Professional

Development Advanced and consultant

practitioners Supporting learners in

the workplace Mentoring practice CV development and

interview techniques Preceptorship

preparation

AIM: To provide you with a range of personal and professional skills which will

enable you to facilitate the academic and clinical development of other practitioners in the clinical learning environment and prepare you as a fully equipped practitioner who is eligible for registration with Health Professions Council.

LEARNING OUTCOMES BY ENGAGING SUCCESSFULLY WITH THIS MODULE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO

Critically evaluate the application of effective strategies for supporting learners in the modern employment setting including the practice of mentorship.

Critically assess personal contributions when undertaking the role of a clinical mentor and relate this to the underpinning theories of effective mentorship, clinical supervision and teamwork.

Evaluate the work place in terms of its potential to promote positive practice outcomes for all stakeholders and formulate service improvement proposals.

Critically assess and reflect upon professional guidelines and policies affecting Radiotherapy Practice.

Demonstrate skills and attributes required of an emotionally intelligent practitioner, responsive to patients and practitioners needs.

Employ skills of awareness to reflect upon situations and devise an appropriate course of action.

A programme of development throughout 3 years- not isolated modules

Some are Collaborative modules some are shared learning e.g. research skills (Evidence) modules

Key to meeting professional standards Core skills of reflection, evaluation of self &

practice, interaction with evidence/research & planning professional & personal development

Includes safeguarding children/adults & service improvement in year 3 (level 6)

Avoid entirely summative large pieces of work Better integration of activities/tasks to make sum

total of module assessment Timing of assessments better thought out- avoid

overlap in academic & clinical Use of in-module retrieval avoids trailing credit Allow module re-registration Changes to clinical case discussions to reflect

practical activities/clinical skills and avoid repeated assessment of the same academic aspects

Students should throw away previous year 2 & 3 learning outcomes/portfolio sheets

Refined & less outcomes! Clinical support sessions VERT PDF roles New case discussion format & questions

(same for current yr 3) Clear expectations of achievement of

competence for practice end of yr 2 & 3.

To all of the Clinical Staff, Managers, Service Users,

Students & SHU team who helped in

the evaluation of the previous programme & design of the new

one!