Our Services

The department of medical physics provides a large range of services for various departments, including diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, gamma knife and radiation oncology, within the Rhode Island, Miriam and Newport hospitals.

As the sophistication of diagnostic imaging and cancer care increases, the role of the medical physicist in terms of radiation safety and patient care has increased dramatically.

The following lists some of these services:

    Radiation Safety

• Ensures the hospitals remain in compliance in regards to State and Federal radiation safety regulations

• Implements licenses to ensure that possession limits for radionuclides are not exceeded and that license conditions are not violated

• Implements the personal monitoring service for radiation exposure

• Performs decontamination of any spillage of radioactive materials

• Takes care of radioactive waste disposal

• Monitors patients treated with therapeutic quantities of radioactive materials and explains the nature and magnitude of radiation hazards to both patients and nursing personnel

• Perform radiation surveys in all departments using radioactive materials

    Diagnostic Radiology

• Provides annual quality assurance testing of all radiology and fluoroscopic x-ray tubes

• Daily testing of film processors

• Provides acceptance testing of all new equipment (e.g. gamma cameras, counting equipment, ultrasound equipment, diagnostic x-ray equipment)

    Radiation Oncology

• Oversees (or performs) the daily, weekly and monthly testing and quality assurance of the treatment machines and planning computers

• Responsible for the dose calculation and handling of radioactive materials used for radiation therapy

Educational Responsibilities

• Radiation safety lectures to all levels of personnel

• Teaching of physics, radiation safety and radiation biology to:

  • School of Nuclear Medicine and Technology

  • School of Radiologic Technology

  • School of Ultrasonography

  • Residents