Nation’s First Proton-Certified Radiation Therapists Graduate

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The first group of radiation therapists (RTTs) will receive their advanced proton therapy certificates from Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington today, making them the first proton-certified RTTs in the nation. A graduation ceremony will be held at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City, the sixth center to open in the country to offer proton therapy, an alternative to X-ray radiation for cancer treatment that spares healthy tissue and results in far fewer short- and long-term treatment side effects.

The Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington program is the nation’s first proton therapy certificate program and operates as part of the college’s Radiation Therapy Program. A portion of the program was held at the ProCure Training and Development Center in Bloomington, the only training facility in the world dedicated to proton therapy. Eight of the thirteen graduates are employed at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City.

“Our relationship with Ivy Tech has been very rewarding,” said Niek Schreuder, senior vice president of technology and medical physics at ProCure. “The training these RTTs receive helps ensure that the highest level of care will be provided to patients at our center in Oklahoma City. The demand for trained staff continues to increase as more proton therapy centers open across the country.”

“We are thrilled that our program develops graduates that can skillfully and compassionately serve the needs of patients with cancer across the nation,” said Larry G. Swafford, Ph.D., professor and chair of the radiation therapy program at Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington. “Our affiliation with ProCure provides our students with hands-on training that is not available anywhere else in the world.”

The advanced proton certificate program provides 16 college credits or the equivalent of two years of continuing education (CE) credits from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT).

source: Business Wire