FRS 001U — Sec. 001 — (1 unit) — CRN 35581 — F 12:10-1:00 PM — 25 Wellman
Introduction to Hospital Physics

Instructor: Julian Perks, Department of Radiation Oncology, School of Medicine

Description: This course will give students an introduction to the aspects of patient care not directly related to the biological or chemical sciences. Physics plays a number of roles in medical practice both in diagnosis and treatment. The course is aimed at any student interested in a career in medicine or any allied field and will highlight job opportunities in hospitals for those who do not go onto complete medical degrees as well as those who choose a more traditional medical education. There are no prerequisite study areas for the course but a knowledge / interest in the sciences would be preferable
The course will cover areas of diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, radiation oncology and radiation protection. The diagnostic radiology section will cover and wide variety of imaging techniques, from simple X-rays to magnetic resonance. This leads through to nuclear medicine where radioactive tracers are imaged to give physiological as well as anatomical information. The use of radiation in patient treatment is then introduced and the vast area of radiation oncology will be covered. The lecture portion of the course will end with a discussion of radiation safety.

Format: A site visit to the UC Davis Medical Center is possible but two visits may need to be arranged for the last two sessions if the group is too large for a single visit. Also the visit would take a little longer than an hour due to the wide area over which UC Davis medical is spread. Grading: Grading plan not yet available.

About the Instructor: