As reported in DOTmed News, the nation's first radiation therapists (RTTs) have recently gained credentials in proton therapy, an advanced form of cancer therapy that uses proton particles to target tumors very precisely. Protons are an alternative to X-ray radiation for cancer treatment; protons spare healthy tissue in order to reduced short- and long-term treatment side effects.

The certificates were awarded Jan. 13 from Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington, Indiana. A graduation ceremony was held at the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City, the sixth center to open in the country to offer proton therapy.

"The importance of providing extensive training and certification in this specialized form of radiation therapy cannot be overemphasized," said Niek Schreuder, senior vice president of technology and medical physics at ProCure. "The RTTs who have graduated from the program are going into their jobs confident in their technical skills and eager to work with proton therapy patients.... The training these RTTs receive helps ensure that the highest level of care will be provided to patients at our center in Oklahoma City. The demand for trained staff continues to increase as more proton therapy centers open across the country."

"We are thrilled that our program develops graduates that can skillfully and compassionately serve the needs of patients with cancer across the nation," said Larry G. Swafford, Ph.D., professor and chair of the radiation therapy program at Ivy Tech Community College. "Our affiliation with ProCure provides our students with hands-on training that is not available anywhere else in the world."

The advanced proton certificate program provides 16 college credits or the equivalent of two years of continuing education (CE) credits from the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT).

The ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City opened in 2009 and is treating patients. ProCure is developing a network of proton therapy treatment facilities across the country. Construction is under way on a ProCure facility in suburban Chicago. Additional centers are in development in suburban Detroit, South Florida, Seattle and Somerset, New Jersey.

To learn more about ProCure and proton therapy, visit www.procure.com or call 888-592-2854. For more information on the RTT proton certificate program call Ivy Tech at 866-447-0700, ext. 6350.

ABOUT PROCURE TREATMENT CENTERS
ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc., based in Bloomington, Ind., was founded in 2005 to improve the lives of patients with cancer by increasing access to proton therapy. ProCure collaborates with leading radiation oncology practices and hospitals and provides management leadership and a comprehensive approach for the design, construction, financing, staffing, training and day-to-day operations of world-class proton therapy centers. ProCure's solution reduces the time, cost and effort necessary to create a facility. ProCure is the only company in the world with a center open and treating patients, another under construction (Warrenville, Ill.) and four others in development (Seattle; Somerset, N.J.; South Florida; and Detroit, Mich.). ProCure's Training and Development Center is the first facility in the world dedicated exclusively to proton therapy. For more information, visit www.procure.com.

ABOUT IVY TECH COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Ivy Tech Community College (www.ivytech.edu) is the state's largest public post-secondary institution and one of the nation's largest singly-accredited statewide community college systems with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.

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