Abstract
This report outlines the University of Sydney’s initial experience with the Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) system in the Master of Medical Physics program. VERT is a commercially available system, simulating linear accelerators, patient computed tomography (CT) sets, plans and treatment delivery. It was purpose built for radiation therapy (RT) education and offers learners the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills within an interactive, risk-free environment. The integration of VERT into the RT physics module of the Master of Medical Physics program was intended to enhance student knowledge and skills relevant to the curriculum’s learning objectives, and to alleviate some of the burden associated with student access to clinical equipment. Three VERT practical sessions were implemented: “RT treatment planning systems”, “(CT) Anatomy for physicists” and “Linear accelerator measurements”. Our experience and student evaluations were positive and demonstrated the viability of VERT for medical physics (MP) student education. We anticipate that integration of VERT into MP teaching is a valuable addition to traditional methods and can aid MP students’ understanding and readiness for practice. Additional evaluations should be conducted to ascertain VERT’s role in delivering efficient quantity and quality of MP education, and its potential in alleviating burdens placed on clinical departments.
Notes
MPCCG: an academic group consisting of representatives from the six Australian universities which offer postgraduate Medical Physics programs in Australia; The University of Sydney, Queensland University of Technology, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University), the University of South Australia, the University of Western Australia and the University of Wollongong; and with an observer from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, NZ.
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Acknowledgements
Australian Government: Department of Health (and Aging), Better Access to Radiation Oncology scheme funding.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Medical University of Warsaw and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Jimenez, Y.A., Hansen, C.R., Juneja, P. et al. Successful implementation of Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) in Medical Physics education: The University of Sydney’s initial experience and recommendations. Australas Phys Eng Sci Med 40, 909–916 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-017-0592-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13246-017-0592-9