The employer service that I was fortunate to take part in for the first clinical semester was

volunteering at the University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute for their annual student
and family day. Each year, my clinical institution invites local high school students and their
families to this event so the students can learn more about the field of radiation oncology. Since
much of the population has limited knowledge on the subject, we want to educate potential future
oncologists, medical physicists, dosimetrists, and radiation therapists that may be interested in
pursuing a rewarding career in cancer treatment. We do this by leading students and their
families on a tour of the facility, along with providing demonstrations throughout the day that
highlight how our duties and skills impact patient care. One person from each department shared
presentations on their educational background, explained their clinical responsibilities, and
provided educational resources to students who are interested in pursuing the profession. These
events not only allow future generations of clinicians to become excited about the possibility of
helping cancer patients, but also gives us an opportunity to reflect on how important our career
choice has been to so many lives that we’ve impacted over the years. We are reminded of how
much each person we work with every day is vital to the overall goal of saving lives and we gain
a deeper appreciation for each discipline required to meet that goal.

The first presentation that was given for the day was from Dr. Julie Bradley, a dedicated
radiation oncologist who specializes in breast and pediatric cancer care at UFHPTI. Her
presentation mainly focused on what cancer is and how we treat it. Her presentation stood out to
me most because she gave us all insight into the dedication it takes physically and mentally to
become a radiation oncologist. It was very humbling to me once I realized how many years of
education and training are required to fill the role that she is in. I try my best to do well
academically and clinically, but medical doctors seem to subscribe to a greater standard that I
had never thought was possible. It motivated me to increase my efforts further knowing what
degree of dedication was attainable. Dr. Perry Johnson, Director of Medical Physics at UFHPTI,
further added to this notion with a simple statement he gave to a student that had a question
concerning attaining a PhD degree. He said, “It isn’t about being the smartest person in the room,
it’s about being the most dedicated person in the room. If you want to attain a PhD degree, all it
takes is the desire to go after it.” I had no idea that the people I had worked with for so many
years could inspire such a greater desire within myself to accomplish more and be the most
dedicated person in the room.
 My contribution to the annual student and family day was a presentation that I was able
to share with the students concerning the role of a dosimetrist. I gave them my professional and
educational background in radiation oncology, along with providing them with a description of
the medical dosimetry profession. I let them know that I was a medical dosimetry student from
the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, the path that I took to becoming a medical dosimetry
student, I provided them with the requirements for admission into the dosimetry program at
UWL, and shared details about the curriculum of the program. My presentation included the
importance of finding a program that was certified by the Joint Review Committee on Education
in Radiologic Technology, should they have an interest in the profession, and provided insight
into the professional and credentialling bodies I’ve been associated with over the years. Kevin
Kirby, the Director of Medical Dosimetry at UFHPTI, followed up on my presentation with a
demonstration of how we use CT images to construct a treatment plan in the Raystation
treatment planning system.

In conclusion, I hope the students that attended the event that day were inspired to seek a
career in healthcare. It was both a learning experience and teaching opportunity for me that was
very rewarding. A few of the students approached me after the event wanting to know more
about medical dosimetry and my career at UFHPTI, which humbled me with the notion that I
could’ve helped set someone on the path towards helping cancer patients one day. At the end of
the day, I chose this career path because I wanted to do something to help those in need and I
love to share with others how grateful I am to have the opportunity to do that.
I have also included the presentation I made for the day’s event.