Mayo School of Health Sciences, University of Minnesota Collaborate to Enhance Radiation Therapy Education in Rochester

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo School of Health Sciences and the University of Minnesota are combining clinical and academic resources to educate radiation therapists. The Rochester-based, 20-month-long training program will culminate in a Bachelor of Applied Science in Radiation Therapy (BAS-RT) from the University of Minnesota, and a certification of completion from Mayo School of Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

A reception announcing the program will take place on Thursday, Oct. 28, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Lips Atrium of the Charlton Building, Mayo Clinic campus, 100 Second Ave. S.W. in Rochester. Several Mayo Clinic and University of Minnesota leaders will speak, as well as students enrolled in the program. Media representatives are welcome to attend and should contact Susan Fargo Prosser, Mayo Clinic Division of Communication, at 507-266-2618.

Radiation therapists are highly skilled members of cancer management teams. They are responsible for accurately recording, interpreting and administering the treatment prescribed by radiation oncologists. The program is an upper-division academic program that will prepare radiographers to become radiation therapists and will offer radiation therapists the opportunity to complete a baccalaureate degree.

"Mayo has been educating radiation therapists since 1980," says Ivy Petersen, M.D., medical director of the radiation therapy program at Mayo School of Health Sciences. "The American Society of Radiologic Technologists saw the need for baccalaureate level education to prepare the next generation of leaders in the radiation therapy profession. The University of Minnesota partnership will allow us to accomplish this goal."

"This is a very specialized field and radiation therapists are in demand," says Faith Zimmerman, Health Sciences Program director at the University of Minnesota Rochester. "This degree will enable students to secure positions in radiation oncology departments and offer opportunities for future career advancement."

Students enrolling in this program can pursue the entire degree in Rochester. Course work is taught by Mayo School of Health Sciences and University of Minnesota faculty on the Mayo campus and online. Clinical experience in all areas of radiation oncology will be fulfilled at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, with clinical rotation opportunities at Mayo Health System sites. Students must complete liberal arts and health sciences requirements along with a radiography program, like the one sponsored by Mayo School of Health Sciences, before entering the BAS-RT program.

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