Admission Qualifications - Academic and Technical Standards

All students must meet both our academic standards and our technical standards in order to be admitted, progress through, and graduate from the Radiation Therapy program. These qualifications assist you in progressing through the curriculum and clinical training.

Academic standards

Academic standards refer to acceptable demonstrations of competency in various disciplines, before admission and after, as judged by faculty members, examinations, and other measurements of performance.

For detailed information about academic standards, refer to the University Student Handbook (pdf).

Technical standards

Technical standards refer to the essential aptitudes and abilities that allow Radiation Therapy Program students to perform in a modern healthcare environment in a variety of ways.

The Radiation Therapist must have sufficient strength, motor coordination, and manual dexterity to:

• Respond rapidly to prevent patient falls and injury
• Lift, push and/or pull 50 pounds several times a day
• Move, adjust, and manipulate (including overhead handling) a variety of radiation therapy equipment
• Stand or walk for 80-90% of the work shift
• Transport, move, lift, and transfer patients from a wheelchair or cart to a stimulator or treatment table

The Radiation Therapist must have proficient auditory and visual skills to:

• Ensure patient safety while in therapist’s care

The Radiation Therapist must have the mental and intellectual capacity to:

• Provide physical and emotional support to the patients and their family
• Communicate verbally in an effective manner
• Perform mathematical calculations precisely to monitor units for unscheduled emergency treatment

The Radiation Therapist must be capable of:

• Reading and interpreting patient charts
• Responding to situations requiring first aid or emergency care
• Reviewing and evaluating radiographs for the purpose of identifying proper patient positioning and field placement
• Evaluating and assessing daily physiological and psychological responses of patients undergoing therapy
• Hearing, understanding, conversing in, reading and writing in the English language in order to accurately and effectively communicate with patients and family members, as well as colleagues and all members of the healthcare team. They must also be able to effectively perceive non-verbal communication

Notice of working conditions: The work environment for the Radiation Therapist involves exposure to communicable diseases, toxic substances, medical preparations and other conditions common to a clinic environment.

* Please note that all requests for accommodations must be made in a timely manner, as stated in the “Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Policy” found in Section 2.2 of the Student Handbook.