Course overview
In this course, students will develop the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes leading to a more complex level of Nuclear Medicine clinical practice. Contents include: applied anatomy, physiology and pathology in the context of nuclear medicine theory and technique of the central nervous system and positron emission tomography in a range of patient populations as related to radiopharmaceutical bio-distribution and scan findings; techniques of the central nervous system and positron emission tomography (PET); image quality and manipulation; accuracy of techniques; radiopharmaceuticals used and their mechanisms of uptake in relation to the central nervous system and positron emission tomography (PET); positron emission tomography (PET) instrumentation; the cyclotron; good manufacturing practice; positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceutical production; radiation protection; verbal/non-verbal communication skills; patient care - handling difficult situations, the unconscious patient, the deteriorating patient; team work including with other health care professionals; professionalism; ethics; legalities; medical terminology; situation analysis; National Safety and Quality in Health Service Standards (NSQHS).
Course learning outcomes
- Describe the theory and practice of central nervous system (CNS) and positron emission tomography (PET) procedures for a range of patient populations.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the chemistry and biodistribution of radiopharmaceuticals used in Central Nervous System (CNS) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and characterise findings as normal, pathological or unexpected.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) physics and instrumentation, including radiopharmaceutical production, quality control procedures, data acquisition and image processing.
- Evaluate images and results from Central Nervous System (CNS) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) procedures to ensure image quality, and identify any urgent and/or unexpected findings.
- Demonstrate knowledge in recognising and responding appropriately to patients with a diverse range of needs, ranging from simple to medically complex (including the deteriorating patient), as per the relevant National Safety and Quality in Health Service (NSQHS) standards.
- Demonstrate knowledge of principles of quality and safety in healthcare including: interpersonal communication; radiation safety; ethics and legalities, and apply relevant National Safety and Quality in Health Service (NSQHS) standards where applicable.
- Discuss the scope of practice of a medical radiation practitioner