Through exposure to the latest healthcare technologies and best practices, The Michener Institute is committed to providing educational experiences that set our students up for success in their careers.
Our fully-equipped laboratories and simulation suites house advanced applied health sciences technology that reflects the equipment found in today’s modern healthcare centres. Michener’s radiation therapy training suites are a leading example of our state-of-the-art facility and our ability to provide simulation enhanced learning.
Many of our on-site technologies have been made possible through strategic business partnerships. Catherine Ladhani, Chair of the Radiation Therapy program at The Michener Institute, acknowledges the benefits of these alliances.
“Partnerships are important because they enable us to stay current in technology, both in present practices and what’s up-and-coming. It allows Michener to network amongst the healthcare community and provide support in advancing the practice.”
These partnerships not only benefit the broader healthcare community, but through our ability to be responsive and flexible, we are able to transfer these experiences to our students. “We provide our facilities as an education site for partners so that they may deliver training on their new technologies,” says Catherine. “In return, our students benefit by having exposure to the newest and latest equipment and best practices in their field.”
Michener students have access to on-site technologies that will help equip them for their clinical experience and beyond. The following highlights the technology housed in the Michener Institute’s Radiation Therapy department.
Elekta: Linear Accelerators
Michener is the only educational institution in Canada with two linear accelerators. These Radiation Therapy Linac Units were graciously donated by Elekta in 2010, after the establishment of an important partnership. Elekta is a respected company who develops sophisticated state of the art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as workflow enhancing software systems. They are considered to be the world leader in the design and manufacturing of Radiation Therapy equipment.
Elekta: Clarity
Clarity, also brought to us by Elekta, was installed with one of Michener’s existing Elekta Synergy® treatment systems. This system uses sophisticated 3D ultrasound technology to outline and track soft tissue targets for accurate patient positioning during radiation therapy, without the need for additional imaging dose or invasive procedures. The addition of Clarity grants Michener students access to state-of-the-art technology that will give them the confidence and competence they need to practice in modern treatment environments.
Treatment Planning Lab
Michener also has an interactive Radiation Treatment Planning Lab for students to understand how treatment is implemented in their patients. The lab is equipped with 15 Elekta XiO and 3 Elekta Monaco computer treatment planning workstations. XiO is a computer based treatment planning platform which provides radiation therapists with the tools to create customized treatment plans for every cancer patient. Key features include the ability to upload patient specific medical images such as CT and MRI, it allows the user delineate normal anatomy and treatment target volumes. XiO facilitates the optimization of each treatment plan through the evaluation of 3D visual displays of the calculated and other quantitative plan evaluation tools.
Vertual Ltd: Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training (VERT) System
The Michener Institute is the first educational institution in North America to adopt a Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training System. This system, also known as VERT was brought to us by Vertual Ltd. It simulates the virtual reality of a radiation therapy treatment room. Through captivating 3D views and life size visualizations, VERT offers an immersive simulation-based education model to train radiation therapists and interprofessional teams. VERT can be used to illustrate how theoretical concepts translate into clinical practice and the acquisition of clinical skills in a safe, risk-free environment.
Read more about Michener's partnership with Elekta
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