Residency Information

Residency Program in Radiation Oncology
  

Objectives		  
  • To provide non-degree, post-doctoral training in radiation oncology
  • To provide the resident the opportunity to participate in the clinical training of DVM students in the principles and applications of radiation oncology including the following:
      • Therapeutic use of ionizing radiation.
      • Radiation biology and radiation physics.
      • Biological behavior and response to therapy of various types of cancer in both large and small animal patients.
      • Imaging techniques utilized in radiation oncology as a part of staging, treatment planning and evaluation of response to therapy.

  • To prepare the Resident for the Certification Examination of the American College of Veterinary Radiology in the Affiliate of Radiation Oncology.
  • To provide the Resident with a broad overview of clinical and research priorities in veterinary radiation oncology.
 

Qualifications Required of Applicants		  
The trainee must have a DVM or equivalent degree. A one-year rotating internship or equivalent practice experience approved by the ACVR Executive Council is also required.
  

Description of Training		  

Duration

The length of the training period will be 24 months. This training period may be a part of a training program in another discipline, e.g., radiology, medical oncology but 24 consecutive months of training will be devoted to radiation oncology. A minimum of 18 months will be devoted to clinical radiation oncology. Time will be allowed for other rotations to include but not limited to one month in radiology, two weeks in anesthesia, and adequate time will be allowed to do a clinical research project.

Training Content

Residents will be instructed in treatment planning and administration of radiation therapy. Residents will be given significant responsibility in these areas and will be allowed to function independently, with plans and treatment setups approved by the program director, or other radiation oncology faculty.

Residents will keep a log of patients treated. Tumor typed, tumor location, tumor stage, dates of treatment, number of beams, beam configuration, and use of blocks/wedges will be archived, as well as follow up information.

Residents will be given the opportunity to present continuing education and instructional lectures to veterinary students and/or practicing veterinarians.

Image interpretation is a critical part of radiation oncology. Pretreatment images of all potential patients will be reviewed with a radiologist. follow-up images made of patients having completed radiation therapy will also be reviewed with a radiologist. Residents will have the opportunity to rotate through the imaging service. A four week period in total will be devoted exclusively to training in radiology. this period will allow the resident involvement in a multitude of imaging modalities including: CT, MR, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and radiography. during this period the resident will attend daily rounds and participate in the discussion and review of imaging studies, and attend and participate in the weekly unknown case conference provided by the radiology faculty.

Clinical management of oncology cases, including initial diagnostic plan, recognition of a variety of tumor associated syndromes and management of patients throughout treatment and in the post-treatment period is an important objective of this program. The resident will have ample opportunity to provide primary case management as well as have exposure to all of the other cases treated with radiation therapy.

Due to the nature and structure of the oncology program at the University of California the resident will have adequate exposure to and involvement in medical oncology cases. Radiation oncology residents will be instructed in the use of chemotherapy both alone and in combination with radiation therapy in the management of small and large animal cancer patients.

The following courses will be taken:

      • Veterinary Radiation Biology
      • Veterinary Radiation
      • Veterinary Cancer Biology
      • Veterinary Oncology

The following conferences will be attended regularly by trainees in radiation oncology:

      • Oncology morning rounds (daily): all current oncology patients including patients seen in clinics the preceding day will be discussed. The cases discussed will include both medical and radiation oncology patients. The rounds will be attended by the medical and radiation faculty and residents, as well as veterinary students currently on the rotation.
      • Radiation chart rounds (weekly): these rounds will be attended by the radiation oncology faculty, and the radiation and medical oncology residents. Port films will be reviewed as well as treatment set-ups and calculations.
      • Journal club (weekly): the journal club will be variable in terms of the participants and at times will be done in conjunction with the medical oncology and the soft tissue surgery residents and faculty.

Research environment

The close proximity and association with the University of California Davis Cancer Center Department of Radiation Oncology in Sacramento provides the opportunity to do collaborative research. Residents are required as a part of the residency training program to perform a prospective or retrospective research project. The material is presented by the resident at House Officer Seminar Day and is anticipated to lead to a publication.

Residents will share general hospital after hours/weekend emergency on a rotational basis. When on call for duties in the Oncology Service, the resident must be accessible by pager or phone and remain within a reasonable distance of the VMTH so that when contacted he or she can respond to the VMTH in person when needed. Other duties should not be scheduled which conflict with on call duties.

     

The VMTH is committed to building strong relationships with its constituents. A major part of the resident's duties, therefore, includes timely communication with referring veterinarians and clients.

Selection will be made in accordance with the guidelines of the Veterinary Internship/Residency Matching Program. For application procedures, salary and benefits, and other information about the residency program, please see General Information on the VMTH web site.

The University of California, Davis, and the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital are interested in candidates who are committed to the highest standards of scholarship and professional activities, and to the development of a campus climate that supports equality and diversity.

ALL RESIDENTS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO OBTAIN A CALIFORNIA LICENSE WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF THE RESIDENCY.

RESIDENTS MUST BE ABLE TO ARRIVE AT THE HOSPITAL WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF AN EMERGENCY CALL, THEREFORE, RESIDENTS MUST PLAN TO LIVE WITHIN 15 MILES OF THE HOSPITAL.