This week's excitement involves an ion chamber change on one of our Linacs. The ion chamber is an integral part of the Linac.... Our old ionisation chamber being removed from the Linac head. Fun fact- the blue cable ties are more radio-resistant than the black and white cable ties and so don't become as brittle … Continue reading Ion chamber change
Tag: medical physics
Radiotherapy Physicist Week 1
My new desk detritus! I'm one whole week into my career as a radiotherapy physicist! I've got my professional hedgehogs mug, my bunnies 2020 calendar, my homemade diary cover and I am ready to smash it! I have learnt an astonishing amount in just one week, from the uses of in-vivo dosimetry to the use … Continue reading Radiotherapy Physicist Week 1
General Ultrasound
#MedicalPhysicistOnTourPart3 Christmas Eve Eve saw me heading to General Ultrasound. I've had a good few ultrasounds in my time but never on my liver so it was very interesting to watch a specialist sonographer and radiology consultant who specialises in ultrasound performing liver ultrasounds in advance of a liver clinic later on in the morning. … Continue reading General Ultrasound
Vascular ultrasound
#MedicalPhysicistOnTourPart2 Today in Medical Physics on Tour Part 2, I spent the morning in Vascular Ultrasound. Vascular scientists perform routine and urgent ultrasounds on the vascular (blood vessel) system all over the body to diagnose and rule out a range of conditions including Deep Vein Thrombosis, aneurysms and checks on fistulas used for kidney dialysis. … Continue reading Vascular ultrasound
Echocardiography
#MedicalPhysicistOnTourPart1 One of the great things about the STP is the ability to parachute into other departments to have a look at how your decisions as a clinical scientist would affect the department's working life. It also enables you to have a further insight into the workings of other parts of the hospital and how … Continue reading Echocardiography
Ultrasonic Cavitation
Ultrasound Safety This week we're participating in a selection of imaging with non-ionising radiation workshops. One focus is ultrasound safety. Measuring power outputs, performing QC and understanding the clinical requirements of ultrasound vs patient safety. 2 indices are used to describe ultrasound safety: Thermal Index Thermal indices describe the potential for tissue temperature increasing during … Continue reading Ultrasonic Cavitation
Radiotherapy Patient Pathway
Having spent 3 months in the radiotherapy physics department, I finally got the opportunity today to spend some time with the radiographers, scanning, planning and treating patients. This blog post will hopefully illustrate my understanding of the pathway that patients go through for their radiotherapy treatment as well as some reflections I have had over … Continue reading Radiotherapy Patient Pathway
ART*- less of an art, more of a science.
*(Adaptive Radiotherapy) People are the worst, right? Humans have their own internal biases, their own ways of doing things, their own subjectivity and their own distractions. So why don't we just automate all treatment planning? This was certainly the attitude that I took at before beginning this placement in radiotherapy. It turns out that it's … Continue reading ART*- less of an art, more of a science.
What even is an x-ray?
I've always been taught the electromagnetic spectrum goes (in song form)... Radiowaves, Microwaves, Infrared... Radiation, Visible light, Ultraviolet, X-rays, Gamma rays. The assumption being that the higher the note sung (the later in the song), the higher the energy, the shorter the wavelength u.s.w. Therefore why are we calling my LINAC friends x-ray units?! Their … Continue reading What even is an x-ray?
Electronic spirit levels
I'm more than happy with how an "analogue" spirit level works. A cylinder with a slight upward curve in the middle (or a larger diameter in the middle) is incompletely filled with a spirit. This leaves a bubble which travels to the centre of the cylinder when on a flat surface. When on a slight … Continue reading Electronic spirit levels
"You're obviously not a scientist" 