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Syllabus Outline for MSC in Medical Physics

Systems Anatomy (2 Units)

The cell, basic tissues, nervous system, nerves and muscle, bone and cartilage, blood, cardiovascular system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, nutrition, genital system, urinary system, eye and vision, ear, hearing and balance, upper limb – hand, lower limb –foot, back and vertebral column, embryology, teratology, anthropometrics; static and dynamic anthropometrics data, anthropometric dimensions, clearance and reach and range of movement, method of limits, mathematics modelling. Laboratory work.

Systems Physiology (2 Units)

Biological Molecules and their functions, Body composition, body fluids and electrolytes. Cell physiology. Cell membranes and membrane transport. Cell electrical potentials. Nerve function – nerve conduction, nerve synapses. Skeletal muscle function – neuromuscular junction, muscle excitation, muscle contraction, energy considerations. Blood and blood cells – blood groups, blood clotting. Immune system. Autonomous nervous system. Cardiovascular system – electrical and mechanical activity of the heart. – the peripheral circulation. Respiratory system- how the lungs work. Renal system – how the kidneys work. Digestive system. Endocrine system – how hormones work. Central nervous system and brain function.

Occupational Hygiene and Safety (2 Units)

Historical development of Occupational Hygiene, Hazards to Health, Surveys, Noise and Vibrations, Ionizing radiations, Non-Ionizing Radiations, Thermal Environments, Chemical hazards, Airborne Monitoring, Control of Contaminants, Ventilation, Management of Occupational Hygiene.

Health Informatics and Applied Statistics (2 Units)

Bio statistics, Distributions, Hypothesis testing. Chi-square, Mann-Whitney, T-tests, ANOVA, regression. Critical Appraisal, screening and audit. Patient records, Coding, Hospital Information Systems, Decision support systems.
This is delivered in a week long workshop and includes laboratory practicals in SPSS. Appraisal exercises. Literature searching and evaluation. Includes demonstrations of clinical nformation technology systems.

Clinical Engineering and Instrumentation (2 Units)

Biofluid Mechanics : Theory : Pressures in the Body, Property of Fluids, Fluid Dynamics, Viscous Flow, Elastic Walls, Instrumentation Examples : Respiratory Function Testing, Pressure Measurements Blood Flow measurements
Physics of the Senses :  Theory : Cutaneous and Chemical sensors, Audition, Vision, Psychophysics
Instrumentation Examples : Evoked responses, Audiology, Ophthalmology instrumentation, Physiological Signals : Theory : Electrodes, Bioelectric Amplifiers, Transducers, Electrophysiology Instrumentation Examples : The cardiac laboratory instrumentation.

Medical Imaging (2 Units)

Medical Imaging Course will be conducted through self-directed learning (Tutorials, assignments).
Theory of Image Formation including Fourier Transforms and Reconstruction from Projections (radon transform. Modulation transfer Function, Detective Quantum Efficiency. X-ray imaging : Interaction of x-rays with matter, X-ray generation, Projection images, Scatter, Digital Radiography, CT – Imaging. Fundamentals of Image Processing
Ultrasound : Physics of Ultrasound, Image formation, Doppler scanning, hazards of Ultrasound.
Nuclear Medicine : Overview of isotopes, generation of Isotopes, Anger Cameras, SPECT Imaging, Positron Emitters and generation, PET Imaging, Clinical aspects of Planar, SPECT and PET Imaging with isotopes.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging : Magnetization, Resonance, Relaxation, Contrast in MR Imaging, Image formation, Image sequences, their appearances and clinical uses, Advances in MR e.g. MR Angiography, Functional Imaging e.g. BOLD, Contrast. Safety in MR.

Radiation Fundamentals and Dosimetry (1 Unit)

Review of Atomic and Nuclear Physics. Radiation from charged particles. X-ray production and quality. Attenuation of Photon Beams in Matter. Interaction of Photons with Matter. Interaction of Charged Particles with matter. Introduction to Monte Carlo techniques. Concept to Dosimetry. Cavity Theory. Radiation Detectors. Practical aspects of Ionization chambers

Physics of Radiation Therapy (2 Units)

The interaction of single beams of X and gamma rays with a scattering medium. Treatment planning with single photon beams. Treatment planning for combinations of photon beams. Radiotherapy with particle beams : electrons, pions, neutrons, heavy charged particles. Special Techniques in Radiotherapy. Equipment for external Radiotherapy. Medical
Accelerators. Relative dosimetry techniques. Dosimetry using sealed sources. Brachytherapy. Dosimetry of radio-isotopes.

Workshops / Practicals

Hospital Safety Workshops (15 hours)

Principles of Electrical Safety, Electrical Safety Testing, Non-ionizing Radiation Safety, UV light, Radiofrequency hazards, laser safety, Medical Device Safety Regulations, CE marking, Vigilance, hazard notifications, Competent Authorities

Radiation Safety Workshop (30 hours)

NUIG Radiation Safety Course. Approved by Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland. In addition separate workshops in radiation biology and advanced dosimetry (radio-isotopes) will be given.

Radiation Protection, Shielding and Patient Dosimetry (24 hours)

Workshop outlines in detail role and responsibilities of medical physicist in Radiation Protection. Includes introduction in staff and patient dosimetry and introduction in shielding design in Diagnostic Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy. Includes exercises using dedicated software

Radiation Therapy Workshop (40 hours)

Operation of Therapy machines. Calibration and Quality Assurance of Accelerators, Simulator, CT-scanners. Dosimetry measurements. Performance of absolute dosimetry.

Medical Imaging Workshop (40 hours)

Operation of imaging systems. Calibration and Quality Assurance of General radiography, fluoroscopy systems, ultrasound scanners CT-scanners and MR scanners. Radiopharmacy and Gamma Cameras Quality Control. Patient Dosimetry.

Risk and Safety Management (40 hours)

Legal framework for Safety and Risk Management. The SHAW Act; Medical Device Safety, EU Regulations, Irish Medicines Board; Legal Liability; Clinical Governance, Accreditation, Quality Assurance; Basic Principles of the Science of Safety Management; Techniques in Risk Analysis; Incident and Accident analysis; Applications in Medical Practice.

Dissertation

A limited research project will be undertaken in a medical physics area. The project will be supervised by members of the teaching staff of the M.Sc. course. The research project will be written up with a small research thesis. Projects are normally conducted in Galway but from time to time can also be run elsewhere (Cork and Dublin for example). Total duration of full time project work is 4 months approximately. Project also requires students to present their research work.
Examples of Previous Research thesis include:

• Fetal Protection in Computed Tomography of the Chest
• Verification of Neutron Shielding Methods in Radiotherapy Bunkers
• Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of the Prostate
• Electronic Portal Imaging Field Matching in Radiotherapy of Head and Neck patients
• Performance of the Monte-Carlo Electron Algorithm used by OTP for 3D electron planning
• Measurement of whole body patient dose during Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
• Non-ionizing radiation spectral measurements in the hospital environment.

    

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