Best Practice in Radiation Oncology: A Workshop to Train RTT Trainers - PDF version 

2018/2019 Vienna, Austria  

With ten successful years behind it and a significant number of radiation therapists grateful for it, the Workshop to Train the Radiotherapist (RTT) Trainers course has proved to be a one-of-a-kind programme for those who aspire towards improvement in their radiation therapy daily practice.  

This programme, funded by the European SocieTy for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has been a stepping-stone for the RTTs in my institution towards further professional and personal development. The University Clinic for Radiotherapy and Oncology, Skopje, has been part of this project from the beginning and its radiation therapists have continuously supported the programme with their presence over the years. I was part of the fourth generation of RTTs from my institution to participate in the Train the Trainers workshop in the 2018/2019 period and I completed it successfully.  

During the workshop I couldn’t help but notice the diversity in the radiation therapy programme to accommodate radiation therapists from around Europe, yet there was a  common struggle for unification and advancement of radiation therapy. The interest in mutual collaboration and strengthening of connections for future exchange of experiences in clinical practice was one of the qualities that could be seen among the radiation therapists.  

Huge credit for the development of this productive environment must go to the teaching staff of the workshop, who generously shared their experiences. They showed interest in and paid attention to every participant and gave suggestions for improvement in everyday practice. The active participation of all the staff and their public presentation of the workflow gave the participants confidence and enrichment in their personal skills, such as public speaking, brainstorming and developing discussion. This resulted in excellent ideas for improvement of the daily practice in each participant’s originating institution, with many therapists expressing their ambition to be more involved in the treatment planning process and even to establish new protocols for processes.  

While recognising that radiation oncology is growing fast along with the rest of the healthcare industry, there is a huge need for educational meetings, workshops and training courses that can help to train professionals who wish to keep up with the expansion.   

Therefore, I strongly emphasise the importance of many more years of training RTTs and encourage members to enrol in the Workshop to Train the RTT Trainers.