School of Radiation Therapy

The Northwestern Memorial School of Radiation Therapy prepares students for the clinical, theoretical, technical and psychological aspects of a career in Radiation Therapy. The 15-month training begins in June and is limited to five to eight students per year.

This is a full-time program; students are expected to be here from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Students will be off six regular holidays per year:

• New Year's Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas

The program begins the second or third week of June and ends the last week of August of the following year.

Learning how to deliver compassionate and quality patient care is emphasized. In Northwestern Memorial's state-of-the-art facility, students are taught with the most advanced technological and diagnostic equipment available, including:

• Varian Trilogy treatment unit
• Elekta linear accelerators with multi-leaf collimators and IMRT
• Elekta Simulator
• Philips CT Simulator
• BSD Hyperthermia Unit
• Nucletron High Dose Rate Unit
• Elekta Gamma Knife
• Treatment Planning Units (Nucletron Plato and Phillips ADAC)
• IMPAC electronic chart management system
• AXESSE

Our experienced instructional staff includes:

• Board-certified Radiation Oncologists
• Resident Physicians
• ARRT registered Radiation Therapists
• Medical Physicists
• Medical Dosimetrists
• Registered Nurses
• Administrative and support staff

Hospital Mission Statement

Northwestern Memorial Hospital, our sponsor institution, has a guiding philosophy of being a regional hospital of choice that is recognized as having the most satisfied patients, best possible clinical quality and outcomes, and the best physicians and staff. We constantly strive to improve the quality of the care in our community. Core values that are allowing us to achieve these goals, and support the mission of the NMSRT are:

• Integrity
  We adhere to an uncompromising code of ethics that emphasizes complete honesty and sincerity. Through our words and actions, we earn the complete trust of our patients and their families, our community, and our coworkers. We do the right thing.

• Patients First
  We put the patient first in all we do. Caring for the individual patient and his or her family is the heart of our mission and our philosophy.

• Excellence
  We continuously strive for excellence. We are always learning and improving our skills, programs and services.

• Teamwork
  We achieve our mission and goals through the collective and coordinated efforts of our staff. We use our diverse talents, backgrounds, ideas and experiences to benefit patients and create solutions. We value team success over personal success.

Program Mission Statement

The mission of the School of Radiation Therapy is to graduate healthcare professionals who are competent radiation therapists through quality academic and clinical experiences.

Program Goals

In order to fulfill our mission, we have adapted the following goals:

• Students will provide clinically competent care to patients.

  • Students will set all treatment parameters correctly.
  • Students will review patient chart prior to bringing the patient in the room and verify prescription.

• Students will demonstrate effective communication skills in order to function effectively as entry-level radiation therapists.

  • Students will demonstrate written communication skills.
  • Students will demonstrate oral communication skills.

• Students will develop problem solving and critical thinking skills in order to function effectively as entry level radiation therapists.

  • Students will analyze patient setup for accuracy.
  • Students/graduates will demonstrate problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

• Students/graduates will demonstrate professionalism.

  • Students will demonstrate awareness of continuing education requirements and `professional organizations.
  • Students will develop a career plan for five years post-graduation.
  • Students will assess the importance of professionalism.
  • Students will demonstrate professional ethics and integrity in the clinical environment.

• The program will provide the community and healthcare organizations with entry-level radiation therapists.

  • Students enrolling in the program will complete the program.
  • Graduates will pass the national certification examination.
  • Graduates seeking employment will be employed in the field.
  • Graduates will be satisfied with the program.
  • Employers will be satisfied with the quality of the graduates.
     

The Radiation Therapy program is accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Educational Programs in Radiologic Technology. 

They are located at:
20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 2850
Chicago, IL 60606
312-704-5300 

Outcome Data – Student Graduation Rate

 Outcome Data – ARRT Certification Pass Rates

Contact

School of Radiation Therapy
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Galter LC 178
251 East Huron Street
Chicago, Illinois 60611
312-926-6609