Residency in Radiation Oncology, Colorado State University
Contact Person: Susan M. LaRue, 970-297-0334, susan.larue@colostate.edu
Date Posted: January 7, 2010
Application Process
Candidates must submit a CV; a statement of professional goals, including description of interest in radiation oncology and career goals; and the name, address, phone number and e-mail address of three references. College transcripts are required but copies are acceptable for the initial portion of the application process. The search committee will begin reviewing applications on February 15, 2010. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The start date can be as late as July 1, 2010, but an earlier start date is desirable. All applications should be forwarded electronically to: Susan M. LaRue (susan.larue@colostate.edu).
Requirements and Description
The radiation oncology residency at Colorado State University is a 2 to 3-year program designed to provide advanced training in radiation oncology and is combined with a Master’s degree in Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences. Applicants for the 3 year position must have completed an internship or have comparable clinical experience. Applicants for the 2 year position are limited to those who have successfully completed a residency in a related discipline (medical oncology, diagnostic radiology, surgery, internal medicine, neurology or other). Please contact Dr. Susan LaRue (970-297-0334 or susan.larue@colostate.edu) if you have questions about program eligibility.
Residents are required to apply to and enroll in the graduate school and take appropriate course work leading to a Master’s degree in Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences. Course work includes radiation biology, radiation physics, medical physics, cancer biology and other related topics. Residents must register for courses Fall and Spring semester throughout the residency program in order to be classified as a student and avoid having retirement benefits deducted from their monthly salary. Residents must register for a minimum of 9 credits per semester (Fall and Spring) to be considered a full time student. The College will cover the cost of in-state tuition for up to 9 credits each semester. Registering for more than 9 credits does not incur additional cost. Enrolled residents will receive tuition assistantships to cover out of state tuition costs during the first year of the residency program. Thereafter, residents who have established Colorado Resident status will continue to have in-state tuition costs covered by the College. It is, therefore, very important that a resident establish Colorado residency status during the first year of their residency in order to avoid paying out of state tuition costs in the second and third years of the residency. Foreign students will not be able to establish Colorado residency and will therefore be responsible for the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition costs each semester. The difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition costs for which a non-Colorado resident will be responsible may be as high as $15- 18,000.00 per year. Salary for the first year will be approximately $32,000, and the resident receives 2 vacation weeks per year, with vacation arranged with prior approval of the program director. It is recommended that you call the program director or visit the institution prior to applying.
The resident is expected to attend and contribute to resident/graduate seminars during the school year. Additionally, two publications are required from the resident in the area of his/her special interest. The resident's training program is individualized through the guidance of a faculty advisor and graduate advisory committee. Appointments are renewable on a yearly basis, dependent on an annual review of the resident's progress in the training program. In accordance with college policy, residents and interns are not permitted to practice veterinary medicine in private/specialty veterinary practices in Colorado during the course of their program.
The Radiation Oncology service is part of the Animal Cancer center, which comprises over 60 people including senior faculty, residents, post-doctorate fellows, and nurses/technicians to provide clinical services. Two Radiation Oncologists and a full time dedicated medical physicist support the program. CSU has a Varian Trilogy linear accelerator system that has radiosurgery, IMRT, and IGRT capability. This state-of-the-art machine has 6 and 10 MV photons and 6-18 MeV electrons. Residents will also obtain experience with different radiation technologies by planning and treating with an available cobalt unit, and treatment planning for off-site radiation therapy centers that includes block-cutting and evaluation of traditional high MV port films. Residents will receive training in clinical and experimental oncologic research. Access to board certified specialists in a wide variety of fields is considered a strong point of this training program. The training program will focus on a comprehensive approach for the treatment of cancer in domestic animals. The Cancer Center is unique in that medicine, surgery and radiation therapy are available and are taught simultaneously.
CSU is EEO/AA Employer. E.O. Office: 314 Student Services Bldg.