Fourth Year Medical Student Rotation

This 4-week rotation is intended for medical students interested in pursuing residency in Radiation Oncology. This rotation is open to medical students from the University of Cincinnati as well as visiting medical students through VSAS.

During this rotation, medical students will be exposed to an in-depth experience in radiation oncology. Students will have the opportunity to work with the most cutting edge radiotherapy techniques including low dose rate and high dose rate brachytherapy, radiosurgery, stereotactic ablative therapy (SABR) and proton therapy. The patient interactions will encompass a wide variety including pediatrics, inpatient, and outpatient settings. Students are expected to be active members of the team and perform new patient consultations, contouring, plan evaluation, and follow up activities.

Rotation Specifics

The 4-week rotation will involve rotating through three clinical sites. Two weeks (not necessarily continuous) will be spent at the Barrett Cancer Center where the student will be involved with inpatient and outpatient clinical work including experiences at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and Cincinnati VA Medical Center. Numerous cancer site-specific tumor boards occur on a daily basis and should be attended when available. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to take part in high dose rate brachytherapy procedures for gynecologic malignancies, low dose rate brachytherapy for prostate cancer, or other complex brachytherapy cases or invasive procedures. Students with a specific interest in pediatric radiation oncology can attend tumor boards at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and observe pediatric anesthesia cases during this time as well.

Another week will be spent at West Chester Hospital Radiotherapy in West Chester, Ohio, which is about 20 minutes north of downtown Cincinnati. This location functions much like a stand-alone outpatient radiation facility and allows students a more in-depth and personal interaction with patients. Lastly, 1 week will be spent at the proton therapy center in Liberty, Ohio (also about 20 minutes north). Here, the student will experience working with state-of-the-art proton therapy equipment utilizing pencil-beam scanning technology. This facility serves both adult and pediatric patients with highly complex malignancies.

During the last week of the rotation, the student will be expected to give a 30-minute “Grand Rounds” style presentation to the faculty and residents on a topic of their choosing.