Discover Medical Radiations

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Hello. My name is Dr. Clare Smith and I am the program coordinator of the Bachelor of Applied Science, Medical Radiations, offered here at RMIT University.

Today, I'm going to tell you a bit about the Discipline of Medical Radiations, BP321, in the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences at RMIT university, and what we offer our perspective students. This program offers three unique streams of specialization, which include medical imaging, nuclear medicine, and radiation therapy. These programs are world-renowned and allow students to work across a variety of disciplines to replicate the real world experience they will need once they start their careers.

Before I start, I'd like to acknowledge the people of the Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung language groups of the Eastern Kulin nations on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT respectfully acknowledges their ancestors and elders past, present and emerging. While we conduct our work remotely, I want to pay my respect to the wider unceded lands of this nation.

In our program, students can follow one of three streams with a program tailored to their choice. In Medical Imaging, students specialize in the use of X-rays to image the body for diagnosis, monitoring and treatment purposes. In Nuclear Medicine, students specialize in the use of radioactive pharmaceuticals to diagnose and treat a variety of diseases. In Radiation Therapy, students specialize in the use of ionizing radiation to treat many forms of cancer, by external means with a linear accelerator, LINAC, or internal sources known as brachytherapy. Each stream offers specialized courses and delivery relevant to the stream of choice.

ATAR requirements are, for Nuclear Medicine 83.25, Radiation Therapy 88.20, and for Medical Imaging, 94.45. Prerequisite subjects are shown on the slide. Our program is an ideal choice for anyone who is interested in working with people from diverse backgrounds and being part of the healthcare services.

All our students learn core subjects relevant to their stream over the three and a half year program. We focus on clinical practice, physics, chemistry, and anatomy components. As well, all our students complete courses in professional practice, research in health science, communication skills for health professionals and health psychology, with each year broadening and strengthening the current knowledge base.

Our WIL placements, WIL being 'Work Integrated Learning', and Simulated Clinical Learning Environments, offer great hands-on learning that is both practical and increases students' preparedness to be truly job ready when they graduate. We aim to develop practitioners with strong interpersonal skills who are passionate about patient care.

As well, we offer our fourth year students the opportunity to complete an independent research project, which provides valuable experience for them in their working careers. Our facilities on offer are: the newly refurbished state-of-the-art medical imaging equipment in our laboratories, including functional X-ray tables and human phantoms, which allows our students to practice and learn on up to date equipment, and most importantly, when they need to. We also have our simulated virtual reality work environments, including a linear accelerator for students to control, manipulate and plan treatments on exactly as they would in a clinical environment.

We have dedicated hot and cold laboratories, hot being specialized for radiation, cold for non-radiation. With all specialized equipment, including pharmaceuticals as are used for clinically. Together, these resources provide our students with access to all relevant learning tools throughout the program for a true hands-on experience at RMIT university.

We have links to many Victorian and interstate hospitals and clinical sites, including tertiary teaching hospitals and research centers, where our students complete placements as part of thier degree. We have strong connections with many professional bodies, including the Australian New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine, and Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy ASMRT. Through staff and research projects, we have connections to the Federal Government, specifically the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency ARPANSA, ANSTO, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, and The Australian Synchrotron.

We continue to expand our ties with industry and have formed a close connection to Cyclotek PET radiopharmaceuticals, which operates manufacturing facilities in Australia and New Zealand, and allows our students unique opportunities for learning and hands-on experiences with their products. We also have ties to various vendors, including Agfa, Siemens, Varian, and various Industry Advisory Committees.

Currently we are developing a clinical education program using PET radiopharmaceuticals with Cyclotek, and have ongoing research also involving Cyclotek. We are also working with and developing high degree by research projects with ARPANSA and The Australian Synchrotron.

RMIT has connections to many universities worldwide and our program is recognized in the UK, with past students benefiting from being able to work overseas. Our students graduate, clinically ready as nuclear medicine technologists, radiation therapists, or diagnostic radiographers depending on their stream chosen. Their unique skill sets and clinical experience are transferable to other areas, and are often sought in government, education and research.

Important dates are orientation, which is the 22nd to the 26th of February, and our classes begin the 1st of March. The last day to enroll for Semester 1 is the 8th of March. Thank you for taking the time to learn about our globally recognized programs. For more information on these programs, be sure to check out the program information available on the RMIT website 'Study with Us' page.

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