Vanderbilt Center for Radiation Oncology
Radiation Therapy Program Admissions
Application/Admission Requirements
The prospective student initiates the application process. Upon receipt of a student's inquiry, the program office will mail an application packet, which consists of an application checklist, cover letter, the application form with $35.00 fee, a clinical site visit form (20 hours minimum) and three professional reference forms.
Prospective students have the option to print forms from the website and send to the program director. Each applicant is required to send in an application fee of $35.00 which will be used to process the application. The application fee is due at the time of submission of the application.
The completed application, clinical site visit form, transcripts and recommendation forms must be in prior to the scheduling of a personal interview and must be in by April 1st of the year in which admission is sought.
The Admissions Committee will review submitted applications and select those who will be requested to attend the next step of the admission process, the formal interview. During the interview, the members of the Admissions Committee as a group meet with each candidate. They will ask a series of questions designed to determine interest, motivation and communication skills. At the time of the interview the student is evaluated on his/her transcripts, professional recommendations and overall interview. Upon the completion of the interviews, the Admissions Committee will select students for the upcoming class.
Students are notified in writing of acceptance status. The selected students must reply, in writing, within ten days of receipt of acceptance letter. At that point, the student must submit a $500.00, nonrefundable deposit and background check fee to hold a place in the upcoming class.
The student selection process is competitive; the Admissions Committee selects applicants on a comparative basis. The student selection process does not discriminate against a student on the basis of handicap, sex, age, race, creed, religion or national origin.
All students applying to a program in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Programs in Allied Health are required to undergo a background check. The cost is decided by Vanderbilt Medical Center and is subject to change. The background check is included in the student fee schedule. The background checks may be conducted after the student’s conditional acceptance into the program, but no earlier than 6 months prior to the beginning date of the program. Failure to “pass” the background check will result in the student being denied final acceptance to the program.
A student may provide a copy of a previously completed background check if that background check will be valid at the time of entrance into the program. Background check must be performed no earlier than 6 months prior to program start date. All students applying to a program in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Programs in Allied Health are required to undergo a background check. Vanderbilt currently uses Sterling Testing, Inc., the same company that conducts their pre-employment background checks. The consent forms used for the allied health students are the same consent forms used for pre-employment checks.
Students accepted into the Vanderbilt Center for Radiation Oncology-Program in Radiation Therapy will be required to complete a 5-Panel Drug Screening Test. Each student is required to complete a drug test using a urine specimen (“Drug Test”). The drug test shall be a 5-panel drug test and is to be completed by the student’s Primary Care Physician. If the urine specimen test is positive, the specimen should be sent to the lab for further testing. If the lab states a confirmed positive, the student will be given the opportunity to present proof of prescriptions which could give a false positive. If the final result of the 5-Panel Drug Screening is positive, the student will be denied admittance into the program. The results of the test are to be sent to program director within two weeks after acceptance into the program. Drug Test shall include screening for marijuana, opiates, amphetamines, cocaine and other drugs not prescribed for current personal treatment by a licensed physician with a valid Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) license. Vanderbilt Center for Radiation Oncology- Program in Radiation Therapy shall keep results on file and make copies of the results of such Drug Test available to clinical facilities prior to placement of student at the clinical facility.
The following criteria are used to evaluate each prospective student:
- Application form, including $35.00 applicaiton fee
- Review of three completed professional references
- Review of transcripts from all post-secondary educational institutions
- Interview by the Admissions Committee with satisfactory assessment
- Completion of a clinical site visit (20 hours minimum)
Each interviewed applicant is given an opportunity for observational experience or a tour of the department.
Radiation Therapy Program Forms
| Applicant check list |  |
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| Application form | |
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| Reference form | |
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| Background check | |
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| Clinical observation form |
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Prerequisite Curriculum
Two avenues to fulfill the prerequisite:
- Graduation from an accredited program in Radiography
- Completion of the Pre-Radiation Therapy curriculum at Program affiliate, Middle Tennessee State University.
Radiography Curriculum Components
| Anatomy & Physiology | 6 hours |
| English | 3 hours |
| Algebra / College Math | 3 hours |
| Precalculus | 3 hours |
| Social Science | 3 hours |
| Radiographic Principles | 9 hours |
| Clinical/Practicum | 30 hours |
| Radiation Physics | 3 hours |
| Radiation Safety | 3 hours |
| Radiobiology | 3 hours |
| Pathophysiology | 3 hours |
| Computer Applications | 3 hours |
The Middle Tennessee State University Curriculum includes the following:
| Biology | 8 hours |
| English | 6 hours |
| Composition | 3 hours |
| College Algebra/Trig. (Pre Calculus included) | 4 hours each |
| Physics | 13 hours |
| Physics Special Topics | 3 hours |
| Anatomy & Physiology | 6 hours |
| History | 6 hours |
| Statistics | 3 hours |
| Chemistry | 3 hours |
| Microbiology | 3 hours |
| Pathophysiology | 3 hours |
| Computer Science | 3 hours |
| Psychology | 3 hours |
| Physical Education | 3 hours |
| Completion of a Certified Nursing Assistant Course | |
| Imaging Workshop | 10 hours |
Transfer of Credit
Acceptance of credit transferred from another radiation therapy program will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Immunization Records
All candidates accepted into the Program in Radiation Therapy must submit the following prior to the start of the orientation period of each academic year enrolled.
- Immunization records, and a small photograph
- Report of chest x-ray or tuberculin skin test
Immunization records, skin tests, and chest x-ray must be dated within six months of program start. In the event that a student contracts or is exposed to a communicable disease, the student must notify the Program Director so that patient contact limitations are considered. All department and institutional policies regarding infection will be observed.
