Clinical Education Requirements

Clinical Education Requirements

The primary goal of the clinical portion of the program is to equip students with the skills necessary to successfully fulfill the responsibilities of a Radiation Therapist. The program follows a competency-based approach, with evaluations conducted by faculty, clinical preceptors, and departmental staff.

Students spend a minimum of 24 hours per week in the clinical environment, where they may encounter ionizing radiation, infectious diseases, bodily fluids, and cleaning agents. Comprehensive instruction is provided on radiation safety, standard precaution protocols, and the correct use of protective clothing and personal protective equipment.

Students participate in rotations across various areas, including radiation treatment, nursing, radiation therapy simulation, and dosimetry. Clinical rotations are held at multiple affiliated sites within the Atlanta area, and students must wear the approved uniform for both classes and clinical assignments. These rotations are scheduled during the day shift. The program prepares students to become integral members of the cancer management team, collaborating with physicians, physicists, and other healthcare professionals. Radiation Therapists have the unique opportunity to work with patients over several weeks, forming a vital part of their healthcare journey, which offers both professional pride and personal fulfillment.

Students are required to wear the approved uniform during both classes and clinical rotations. Clinical hours are scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Clinical assignments take place at Grady, with rotations to affiliate hospitals and clinics throughout the Atlanta area.

Clinical Sites

The Radiation Therapy Program has articulation agreements with the nine JRCERT approved clinical sites. Students will rotate through all the clinical sites.

Address and mileage from Grady Memorial Hospital to other clinical sites.

1. Emory Midtown Radiation Oncology – 36 Linden Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30308 – 2.5 Miles Emory Midtown – Winship Cancer Institute
2. Emory Main Radiation Oncology – 1365 Clifton Road NE, Building C, Atlanta, GA 30322 – 6 Miles Emory Main – Winship Cancer Institute
3. Emory St. Joseph’s Radiation Oncology – 5665 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd., NE, Atlanta, GA 30342 – 16 Miles Emory Saint Joseph’s – Winship Cancer Institute
4. Grandview Medical Radiation Oncology – 3670 Grandview Pkwy, Birmingham, AL 35243 – 147 Miles Grandview Medical Cancer Center
5. Northside Hospital Radiation Oncology – 1000 Johnson Ferry Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30342 – 16 Miles
6. Piedmont Newnan Radiation Oncology – 775 Poplar Road, Level 10, Newnan, GA 30265 – 39 Miles Piedmont Newnan Radiation Oncology
7. WellStar Cobb Radiation Oncology – 1800 Hospital South Drive, Austell, GA 30106 – 24 Miles WellStar Cobb Radiation Oncology
8. WellStar Kennestone Radiation Oncology – 320 Kennestone Hospital Blvd Suite LL1, Marietta, GA 30060 – 22 Miles WellStar Kennestone Radiation Oncology
9. WellStar Paulding Radiation Oncology – 148 Bill Carruth Pkwy Suite LL30, Hiram, GA 30141 – 29 Miles WellStar Paulding Radiation Oncology

Clinical Requirements

 To participate in clinical activities, students must keep their immunizations and vaccinations up to date throughout the program. Additionally, all students accepted into the Schools of Radiation and Imaging Technologies are required by Grady Health System (GHS) to complete a criminal background check and drug screening before enrollment. This process occurs after provisional acceptance into the program, with students responsible for covering all associated costs.

Upon acceptance, the applicant must complete and submit to the program by a deadline date before beginning the program:

1. Physical examination and immunizations to include documentation of:
   1. COVID-19 vaccine
   2. MMR vaccine OR Titer (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) Must have one of the following: Documentation of 2 doses after 1^st birthday and separated by at least 28 days OR Laboratory evidence of immunity by positive measles titer, positive mumps titer, and positive rubella titer
   3. Tdap vaccine (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) must have booster within past 10 years.
   4. Hepatitis B Vaccine AND Titer (series of 3 vaccines and positive titer results drawn after 3^rddose).  If titer results are negative, then additional vaccine(s) are administered, and a titer is drawn again.
   5. Varicella vaccine (2 doses) OR positive titer
   6. TB screening using QuantiFERON Gold blood test.  This is done by Grady’s Employee Health Onboarding personnel.For history of positive TB test, latent TB infection or TB disease, must have negative chest x-ray. If student has had TB disease, medical evaluation and documentation that student has been treated for TB disease is required. After initial TB testing is completed, student must receive follow-up TB testing annually consisting of a T. SPOT or a QuantiFERON Gold Test at the student’s own expense.
   7. Flu vaccine – required yearly

Immunization requirements are subject to change by Grady Health System and/or Clinical affiliates at any time.

2. Background check and drug screen performed through www.advantagestudents.com.
3. Proof of professional liability insurance through HPSO as a Radiologic Technology Student, prior to enrollment, which documents coverage for first year of enrollment (must be renewed before end of first year).
4. Current CPR (BLS for Healthcare Provider) through the American Heart Association documentation.
5. Any on-line hospital or clinical site orientations assigned by the school.

Background Check – Drug Screen Policy

All students accepted into the Schools of Radiation and Imaging Technologies are required by Grady Health System (GHS) to complete a criminal background check and drug screening before enrollment. These procedures take place after a student has been provisionally accepted into the program. Students are responsible for covering all associated costs. If a student has lived outside of Georgia or in other countries, additional fees for extended searches may apply.

The Student Package (background check and drug screen) must be ordered online through the website:  www.advantagestudents.com by the date designated by the program. Results are accessed by GHS Human Resources’ employee on-boarding coordinator and student placement coordinators of the clinical affiliates. Unsatisfactory/positive results of the criminal background check and/or drug screen will result in ineligibility for admission to the program.

The drug screen follows National Institute on Drug Abuse guidelines and screens for eleven substances. Test results that fall outside of any acceptable ranges are considered positive test results. Any positive result (unless the student has a physician’s documentation of need for the drug) will exclude student from placement in the program.  A clinical facility reserves the right to remove a student from the facility for suspicion of substance abuse, including alcohol. The clinical facility reserves the right to request that the student submit to a repeat drug screening at the student’s expense. Failure to comply will result in the student’s immediate expulsion from the facility.

Criminal background check criteria include:

• Georgia Statewide Criminal Records – GCIC
• If applicant has resided outside the State of Georgia within the past 7 years, then those additional jurisdictions will be searched.
• Violent Sexual Offender and Predator Registry search (aka Nationwide Sexual Offender Registry)
• Social Security Number Verification
• Residency History
• Nationwide Health Care Fraud and Abuse Scan
  Search includes – Medicare & Medicaid Sanctioned, Excluded Individuals, Office of Research Integrity (ORI), Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), FDA Debarment Check, Office of Inspector General (OIG)-List of Excluded Individuals/Entities, General Services Administration (GSA)-Excluded Parties List.
• US Patriot Act Search – includes – OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons, OFAC Sanctioned Countries, including Major Cities & Ports, Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories, Department of State Trade Control (DTC) Debarred Parties, U.S. Bureau of Industry & Security (formerly BXA) – Unverified Entities List Denied Entities List, Denied Persons List, FBI Most Wanted Terrorists and Seeking Information, FBI Top Ten Most Wanted, INTERPOL Most Wanted List, Bank of England Sanctions List, OSFI – Canadian Sanctions List, United Nations Consolidated Sanctions List, Politically Exposed Persons List, European Union Terrorism List, World Bank Ineligible Firms.

Technical Standards and ADA Compliance

 TECHNICAL STANDARDS

To fulfill the requirements of the Schools of Radiation and Imaging Technologies, students must be able to meet the physical demands associated with the profession.  During the interview process all students received a copy of the Technical Standards and Americans with Disabilities policy and they also verified that they could perform all technical standards.  

Individuals applying for admission must be able to meet the physical and emotional requirements of the program.  Students admitted must possess the following qualities:

• The emotional maturity and stability to approach highly stressful human situation in a calm and rational manner.
• The ability to make clinical judgment using critical thinking.
• The ability to adhere to ethical standards of conduct as well as applicable state and federal laws.
• The ability to provide effective written, oral, nonverbal communication with patients and their families, colleagues, health care providers, and the public.

Examples of these requirements include but are not limited to the following.

Code:  F = frequently   O = Occasionally   NA = not applicable

 Americans with Disabilities Compliance

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the definition of an individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.  Students must be mentally and physically capable of fulfilling the objectives of the program to be qualified.  In keeping with its mission and goals, and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the program promotes an environment of respect and support for persons with disabilities and will make reasonable accommodations for students.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a student/applicant with a documented disability must submit a written request for reasonable accommodation.  Upon receipt of the request, accommodations for classroom and/or clinical settings will be considered for reasonableness by the program’s Admissions Committee and the hospital’s administrative committee.  Accommodations that compromise patient care, or that fundamentally alter the nature of the program or activity, are not considered to be reasonable.  The committee and advisors will meet to determine whether or not reasonable accommodations can be made, and the student/applicant will be informed of the decision in a timely manner following the meeting.

Reasonable accommodations for the hearing impaired in the classroom include lecture notes, and adjustment of seating in the front of the classroom.  Reasonable accommodations for the visually impaired in the classroom include enlargement of font for assigned readings, extra time to complete reading assignments and seating in the front of the classroom.

Patient care and safety and program physical technical standards cannot be compromised.