So, you’ve had your consultation for cancer care at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, and your doctor has recommended radiation therapy. You’ve taken time to review the information, talk it over with loved ones, and decide to move forward with cancer treatment.

The billing team helped confirm your insurance coverage for proton therapy, a precise form of radiation, and submitted the necessary authorizations. Now you’re wondering — what’s next?

Let’s walk through the next steps and introduce you to the dedicated professionals who will guide you from simulation to the start of your cancer treatment. 

Oncology Treatment Coordinators: Your Scheduling Guides

Once your insurance is approved for proton beam therapy, the oncology treatment coordinators will reach out to schedule any additional testing — like CTs, MRIs or lab work. For some patients, such as those with prostate cancer, hormone therapy may be needed before radiation begins.

When everything is ready, the treatment coordinators schedule your CT simulation scan. This scan is performed onsite at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute and is essential for developing your personalized cancer treatment plan for radiation therapy.

You’ll receive a detailed schedule for your pre-treatment work-up, which may span one to three days, and include procedures like MRI simulation scans or marker placements.

For prostate cancer treatments specifically, the markers help the treatment team precisely target the radiation beams, which increases the dose to the cancer and spare healthy tissue, thus improving accuracy and reducing side effects from cancer treatment. The markers are placed before treatment begins and are not removed after the therapy is complete.

Radiation Therapists: Your Simulation Team 

Radiation therapists are the professionals who will perform your simulation scan and stay with you every day during treatment as they set up and deliver your radiation treatment. These highly trained healthcare workers ensure you’re positioned accurately and safely for each session of proton therapy.

Radiation therapists are often called techs and are mistaken for radiologists (medical professionals that read imaging scans) or radiation oncologists (the physicians). However, radiation therapists are responsible for operating the radiation treatment machines — a unique job. They have a 2- or 4-year degree in radiation therapy and must pass a professional certification exam to receive their license to practice.

During your CT simulation, they’ll help determine the best way to position your body so that your treatment can be delivered precisely and consistently. This process can take up to 90 minutes. Once completed, they’ll provide an estimated treatment start date — usually 10 to 14 days later.

Why the wait? Let’s explore what happens behind the scenes.

Medical Dosimetrists: The Treatment Plan Architects 

After your simulation scan, the image is sent to the dosimetry team. Your radiation oncologist outlines the target area and nearby organs that need protection. The physician tells the dosimetrist how low the radiation dose levels must remain for the healthy organs and tissues to remain protected. The dosimetrist then creates a customized treatment plan using specialized software.

A dosimetrist is a healthcare professional who is trained to create your radiation treatment plan. Dosimetrists must have a 4-year bachelor’s degree, preferably in the field of science. They continue their education with 1-2 years in an accredited certification program or master’s degree in medical dosimetry. Finally, they must pass the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board (MDCB) exam.

As a part of your cancer treatment plan, they calculate the angles and intensity of the radiation beams to match your doctor’s prescription, performing multiple quality checks to ensure safety and effectiveness. Though you may never meet them, dosimetrists are deeply committed to crafting the best cancer treatment plan for each patient. 

Medical Physicists: The Safety Experts

Medical physicists work closely with dosimetrists to verify that your treatment plan is both accurate and safe, meeting the prescription noted by the physician. Medical physicists have a strong understanding of how the radiation works — protons or X-rays — as well as how the radiation technology works. They put this knowledge together to ensure patient safety.

Before your first treatment, physicists conduct quality assurance tests, often using water tanks with sensors, to ensure everything works as intended. While most patients won’t meet them, physicists may be present during complex treatments to ensure everything goes smoothly.

Medical physicist education begins with an undergraduate degree in physics or medical physics, a master’s degree in medical physics and 2-year residency training program. Finally, they must pass the board certification exam by the American Board of Medical Physics (ABMP) or the American Board of Radiology (ABR).

The UF Health Proton Therapy Institute also has a certified Medical Physics Graduate program designed to train the next generation of medical physicists to obtain their board certification.

Engineers: The Technology Guardians​

Radiation therapy relies on sophisticated equipment, and engineers are the ones who keep it running. At the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, a team of engineers are on-site 24/7 to maintain the proton accelerator and gantries.

Engineers monitor the control room to ensure a consistent, high-quality proton beam is delivered to each treatment room. They send the beam to each patient treatment room as requested by the radiation therapists once the patient is positioned.

After hours, they perform preventive maintenance so everything is ready for the next day’s treatments. You might spot them in the hallways, quietly ensuring your care continues without interruption. 

Conclusion: A Team Effort for Your Care

As you can see, many professionals work together to prepare you for radiation therapy. From coordinators and therapists to dosimetrists, physicists and engineers, each plays a vital role in your cancer care as you await treatment.

This is why it takes about two weeks from simulation to treatment start — because your safety and precision matter. Stay tuned for the next blog in our series, where we’ll introduce the team members you’ll meet during your daily treatments.