Medical physics

Aarhus Universitetshospital Aarhus Sygehus

Department of Oncology Department of Medical Physics

Medical physicist, PhD Steffen Bjerre Hokland

Århus Universitetshospital, Århus Sygehus Region Midtjylland

Overview

•  Career path •  Department of Medical Physics, Aarhus

University Hospital – brief introduction •  The typical patient flow •  Basic functions of the medical physicist •  Advanced possibilities •  My entirely unbiased opinion of the

upsides of medicine

Århus Universitetshospital, Århus Sygehus Region Midtjylland

Career path

•  June 2003: Cand. Scient. in physics (theoretical) (minor in mathematics)

•  July 2003: Contacted The MR-Research Centre, Aarhus University Hospital (Skejby)

•  December 2003: Formally employed as research assistant •  August 2004: Enrolled as PhD-student at the Department of

Health, Aarhus University •  January 2009: PhD •  October 2010: Employed at Department of Medical Physics

Århus Universitetshospital, Århus Sygehus Region Midtjylland

Medical Physicist

•  3 year certification –  Diagnostic –  Nuclear medicine –  Oncology

•  Consists of 50% clinical experience and 50% education (various modules including biology and medical science)

•  Organized in ‘Dansk Selskab for Medicinsk Fysik. •  Info om uddannelse og hospitalsfysik kan findes på:

DSMF.org

Århus Universitetshospital, Århus Sygehus Region Midtjylland

Department of Medical Physics

•  12 Linear Accelerators: –  8 at Nørrebrogade –  2 at Skejby –  2 in Herning

•  3 CT-scanners •  1 PET-CT •  1 MRI •  2 PDR-brachy therapy (gynae) •  1 HDR-brachy therapy (prostate) •  App. 25 physicists

Århus Universitetshospital, Århus Sygehus Region Midtjylland

Behandlingsforløb efter henvisning Rad

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Patient specific fixation

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CT- and optional MR-scan - Co-registration

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Delineation of target and critical normal tissue

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Dose plan

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Approval of plan and patient specific QA

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Delivery of plan

Århus Universitetshospital, Århus Sygehus Region Midtjylland

Eksempler

Århus Universitetshospital, Århus Sygehus Region Midtjylland

Basic functions of the medical physicist

•  Dose planning •  Patient specific QA •  Periodic QA of equipment

–  Actual QA –  Organizing and standardization of QA

•  Teaching other groups of staff •  Overseeing treatment delivery •  Handling of radioactive sources •  Safety assurance

Århus Universitetshospital, Århus Sygehus Region Midtjylland

Practical functions during treatment

•  All treatments are daily image guided •  In case margins can’t be maintained (2 – 8 mm depending

on diagnosis and patient specific requirements) the physicist is consulted and decides which action needs to be taken. –  Reposition patient –  Possibly rescan and replan patient –  Take a walk and a fart (you wouldn’t believe the amount

hassle we go through on account of gas) •  Quality assurance. •  Occasional consultations with patients

Århus Universitetshospital, Århus Sygehus Region Midtjylland

Advanced options

•  There are ample opportunities for research in the departement –  I’m currently allocated half time for a research project

related to my ph.d. •  Because of the diverse nature of the job, the research is

equally diverse (all the way from the slightly mundane of the everyday treatment situation (reproducible positioning) to the advanced of dose calculation algorithms, biological optimizations etc.

Århus Universitetshospital, Århus Sygehus Region Midtjylland

My perception of benefits

•  Part of a large and dynamic department with close collaboration with various groups (my masters and ph.d. was sort of lonely one-’man’ work) –  Other physicists –  Oncologists –  Nurses –  Radiographers

•  Sense of urgency in problem solving – what you do matters here and now

•  Great opportunity to affect current treatments and openness for change