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Simran Rai
Dos 772 Clinical Practicum III
Professional Service Journal
The American Registry of Radiologic technologist (ARRT) offers a certification exam to

all radiation therapy students that graduate from an accredited program. The contents of the

exam include several topics ranging from radiation physics, safety, dose calculations, quality

assurance and more. As someone that took the exam two years ago in the summer of 2020, I

recall that the wide range of content can seem overwhelming for someone new to the field of

radiation oncology. This is what motivated me to assist the radiation therapy students in my

clinic for the preparation of their board exam. Over the past 4 months I have spent time helping

two radiation therapy students at my clinical site with radiation physics and dose calculations

study material to prepare them for the ARRT certification exam.

To begin, I shared a document with several pages of practice problems that I had saved

from when I was a radiation therapy student. I gave the students time to review the document so

that they could gauge the areas in which the most effort was needed to study for the certification

exam. Radiation physics and dose calculations were 2 topics that needed to be addressed the

most. Although the ARRT certification exam has many questions regarding dose calculations

and physics many radiation therapy programs spend little time going over these topics in detail.

There were several simple mathematical formulas I was aware would likely be on the

exam, so I spent most of my time with the radiation therapy students addressing these. Formulas

to calculate magnification factor, extended distance field size, penumbra, and Mayneord’s F

factor were reviewed. Additionally, the calculation factors used for monitor unit equations were

also explained. This included examples that were relatable to what would be found on the ARRT

certification exam. For example, if a wedge with a factor of 0.6 is left out for a treatment field
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what would the dose from that field be? Practical question like this that combine more than one

concept of dose calculations can greatly help in exam preparation in my opinion. Basic radiation

units such as sieverts, gray, and roentgen were also reviewed along with when they would be

appropriately used. Overall, an emphasis was placed on exam topics that were often found to be

more challenging or confusing.

I enjoyed being able to help someone that is in same position I was a short time ago.

Preparing for certification exams can be a stressful time but being adequately prepared can bring

some ease of mind. I was also able to learn about myself through the process. The experience

was not only rewarding but it helped me learn to explain things better in a way that’s easy for

most people to understand. Teaching mathematical equations and concepts also made it easier for

me to remember them myself as well. The new skills I gained from this endeavor will make it

easier for me to help other students in the future.

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Figure 1. Screenshot of practice problems shared with radiation therapy students