Ohio State will begin offering a radiation therapy program through the School of Allied Medical Professions this fall.
The new major will certify students to treat cancer patients with radiation. Kevin Evans, an assistant professor in the school, said OSU will be one of the few universities in the United States to offer such a degree.
“This is specialized training and we wanted to award a degree to students and not just a certificate,” he said.
Evans said students who have completed their freshman and sophomore years at OSU may apply and 10 students will be accepted annually to the program. Students will be required to complete some general education curriculum courses by the end of their sophomore year as prerequisites for the major. This way they can focus on radiation therapy during their last two years.
Radiation therapy training was previously offered through the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, which trained four to five students every year through a 12 to 18 month certificate program, Evans said. Many students would graduate from OSU and then apply for the additional training.
He said instructors involved with the program approached OSU to become a degree-affiliated educational program.
Ruth Hackworth, program director for radiation therapy at the cancer hospital, was one of those who approached the university about the program, and she will also oversee it.
Hackworth graduated from OSU with a degree in radiological technology and then completed a year of training for radiation therapy. Radiological technology, according to the School of Allied Medicine Profession’s Web site, is the use of radiation to produce images of the tissues, organs, bones and vessels of the body. Hackworth said she sees the importance of establishing a degree program.
She also said there are not many radiation therapy programs in the country, so having a bachelor program at OSU is a big step.
“Radiation therapy is a small but rewarding field,” Hackworth said. “We spend around 15 minutes each day with a patient, so we get to know them fairly well.”
Although the program is moving to the School of Allied Medical Professions, Hackworth said the majority of the class work will be at the cancer hospital and the instructors will not change.
The school stopped accepting applications for the program on Jan. 31, and Evans said accepted students will be notified before the end of spring quarter.
Kacia Strous can be reached at [email protected].
