By: Cat Pastoor
College of DuPage Radiation Therapy students now have access to a virtual trainer that simulates multi-million-dollar equipment used to treat cancer, giving students clinical experience needed to enter the field.
Currently the only Illinois institution with access to the technology, COD’s Virtual Environment for Radio Therapy (VERT) utilizes on-screen projection and 3D modeling to simulate equipment that would be used in a real hospital setting. The projector screen is viewed with 3D glasses and operated with a remote controller called a “pendant” that instructors and students use to navigate the simulated radiation therapy process, helpful and accurate details in 3D space.
Linear accelerators, the devices most commonly used for treating cancer through radiation, are huge, cost millions and are inaccessible to students outside of clinical sites.
Radiation Therapy Program Chair Brittany DeCicco noted that the VERT will be a significant time and cost saver.
“This will really help kind of streamline the workflow process and the patient setup process and just the students’ overall clinical experience,” she said. “So rather than them solely learning at different clinical sites, we’ll have a collective, collaborative lab where we can all just kind of trouble shoot issues and go through patient setups and learn collectively.”
The Diagnostic Medical Imaging Radiation Therapy Technology program at College of DuPage is an advanced one-year certificate program, where students train through classwork and clinicals to gain practical experience in the field of radiation therapy. The certificate is available to students with certifications in Radiography or Nuclear Medicine.
For more information about the Radiation Therapy program, visit cod.edu/radiation-therapy.
Register for classes today
COD's fall semester, which begins Monday, Aug. 19, includes a 16-, two 12- and two eight-week sessions.