National University to Offer Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy Degree Program to Students in Rancho Cordova

National University, the second-largest private, nonprofit institution of higher education in California and the 12th-largest in the nation, has introduced a new Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy degree program, the University announced today.

The next cohort of students will begin in April 2013. The program will be offered onsite at National University’s Costa Mesa campus and will be broadcast via video and teleconferencing technology for real-time interaction with students enrolled at the University’s new state-of-the-art campus in Rancho Cordova located at 10901 Gold Center Drive. The program will also be broadcast to students at the University’s Technology and Health Sciences Center in Kearny Mesa.

National University is announcing the program now so that prospective students can have enough time to enroll in the prerequisite courses required for the Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy degree program.

“It is estimated that nearly two million men and women in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer in 2012,” said Mellonie F. Brown, M.E.T., CMD, R.T. (T.), Assistant Professor and Program Director of the Radiation Therapy Program at National University. “The radiation therapy professional is an integral part of the healthcare team responsible for delivery of precise radiation treatments to patients diagnosed with cancer and other diseases.”

Continued Brown, “Upon successful completion of the Radiation Therapy Program, students will be prepared to work in the healthcare setting as entry-level radiation therapists and will be eligible to take the ARRT national examination in radiation therapy and apply to the California Radiation Heath Board for licensure.”

Accredited by the State of California, the Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy program builds on a broad-based foundation in liberal arts and sciences and is designed to strengthen the critical thinking and communication skills necessary to work with a diverse population in multiple healthcare settings. Students in the program will learn all aspects of radiation therapy, including effective patient care and education, treatment planning, and radiation physics, as well as the biological effects of radiation in a rapidly advancing and highly-technical profession.

The Bachelor of Science in Radiation Therapy is a 24-month, full-time, lock-step program in which each cohort of students progresses in unison, taking each of the courses in a sequenced manner.

The program will prepare students in part to:

• Demonstrate clinical competence in the areas of patient care, treatment, simulation, dosimetry, and brachytherapy;
• Effectively communicate with patients, families, and members of the healthcare community;
• Analyze clinical data to ensure safety and quality improvement of radiation therapy operations;
• Evaluate treatment plans to ensure accurate and effective treatment delivery;
• Demonstrate values and attitudes congruent with the profession’s standards and ethics; and
• Analyze current healthcare research for application to the radiation therapy practice.

For more information about the Radiation Therapy program, admission requirements, and enrollment periods, please visit http://www.nu.edu/OurPrograms/SchoolOfHealthAndHumanServices/HealthSciences/Programs/BSRT.html.