Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026
08:25
Radiation Planning Assistant - A Streamlined, Fully Automated Radiotherapy Treatment Planning System
Published on: April 11, 2018
Projecting the radiation oncology workforce in Australia
Deborah Schofield1, Emily Callander, Merel Kimman
1NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown NSW, Australia.
Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention : APJCP
|July 18, 2012
Summary
Australia faces a significant future shortage of radiation oncology specialists. Projections indicate deficits in radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, and medical physicists, necessitating workforce planning.
Area of Science:
- Medical Physics
- Oncology
- Radiotherapy
Background:
- International research indicates a shortage of radiation oncologists.
- No current estimates exist for the future Australian radiotherapy workforce.
- The radiation oncology workforce comprises three main disciplines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current status and capacity of Australia's radiation oncology workforce.
- To project workforce supply and demand for radiation oncologists, radiation therapists, and radiation oncology medical physicists in Australia for 2014 and 2019.
Main Methods:
- A workforce model was constructed using data from a 2008 survey of all Australian radiotherapy facilities.
- The model projected workforce supply and demand for key roles within radiation oncology.
Main Results:
- A projected shortfall of 109 radiation oncologists by 2014, increasing to 155 by 2019.
- A projected shortfall of 612 radiation therapists by 2014, decreasing slightly to 593 by 2019.
- A projected deficit of 104 radiation oncology medical physicists in 2014, with a shortfall of 78 in 2019.
Conclusions:
- Significant future shortages are predicted across all major radiation oncology workforce disciplines in Australia.
- The projected deficits highlight an urgent need for strategic radiation oncology workforce planning.
- Addressing these shortages is crucial for maintaining adequate cancer treatment services.
Related Concept Videos
01:17Radiation: Applications
The average temperature of Earth is the subject of much current discussion. Earth is in radiative contact with both the Sun and dark space; it receives almost all its energy from the radiation of the Sun and reflects some of it into outer space. Dark space is very cold, about 3 K, so Earth radiates energy into it. For instance, heat transfer occurs from soil and grasses, the rate of which can be so rapid that frost can occur on clear summer evenings, even in warm latitudes.
The average...
The average...
01:21Cancer Survival Analysis
Cancer survival analysis focuses on quantifying and interpreting the time from a key starting point, such as diagnosis or the initiation of treatment, to a specific endpoint, such as remission or death. This analysis provides critical insights into treatment effectiveness and factors that influence patient outcomes, helping to shape clinical decisions and guide prognostic evaluations. A cornerstone of oncology research, survival analysis tackles the challenges of skewed, non-normally...
01:29Positron Emission Tomography
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a medical imaging technique involving radiopharmaceuticals — substances that emit short-lived radiation. Although the first PET scanner was introduced in 1961, it took 15 more years before radiopharmaceuticals were combined with the technique and revolutionized its potential.
One of the main requirements of a PET scan is a positron-emitting radioisotope, which is produced in a cyclotron and then attached to a substance used by the part of the body being...
One of the main requirements of a PET scan is a positron-emitting radioisotope, which is produced in a cyclotron and then attached to a substance used by the part of the body being...
01:09Radiation Pressure: Problem Solving
The radiation pressure applied by an electromagnetic wave on a perfectly absorbing surface equals the energy density of the wave. The wave's momentum also gets transferred to the surface when an electromagnetic wave is entirely absorbed by it. The rate at which momentum is transmitted to an absorbing surface perpendicular to the propagation direction equals the force on the surface.
The average value of the rate of momentum transfer divided by the absorbing area represents the average force per...
The average value of the rate of momentum transfer divided by the absorbing area represents the average force per...
02:59Biological Effects of Radiation
All radioactive nuclides emit high-energy particles or electromagnetic waves. When this radiation encounters living cells, it can cause heating, break chemical bonds, or ionize molecules. The most serious biological damage results when these radioactive emissions fragment or ionize molecules. For example, α and β particles emitted from nuclear decay reactions possess much higher energies than ordinary chemical bond energies. When these particles strike and penetrate matter, they produce ions...
01:05Absorption of Radiation
The rate of heat transfer by emitted radiation is described by the Stefan-Boltzmann law of radiation: