Admissions
Prerequisites
The Radiation Therapy Program at Mayo Clinic in Rochester is open to all applicants who have:
The Radiation Therapy Program does not accept transfer students from other radiation therapy programs.
International Applicants
U.S. citizenship or Permanent Immigrant Status is required for admission to the Radiation Therapy Program.
Admission Policy
Modern allied health education requires that the accumulation of scientific knowledge be accompanied by the simultaneous acquisition of essential skills, and professional attitudes and behavior. The goal of MSHS programs is to graduate the best possible healthcare practitioners. Further, MSHS must also ensure that patients are not placed in jeopardy by students with impaired intellectual, physical or emotional functions. Therefore, admission to educational programs in the school is offered only to those applicants who meet qualifications for education and training in the art and science of the respective allied health profession. Applicants should possess the following general qualities:
- Critical thinking
- Sound judgment
- Excellent communication skills
- Emotional stability and maturity
- Empathy
- Physical and mental stamina
- Ability to learn and function in a wide variety of didactic and clinical settings
In addition to the general standards described above, the Radiation Therapy Program has additional specific standards, as the duties of a radiation therapist are physically demanding. In order to perform regular duties, you must be able to:
- Routinely lift 20 pounds over your head (blocks, treatment cones and other treatment devices)
- Stand on your feet more than 80 percent of the time
- Push and pull, bend and stoop, and kneel or squat routinely
- Push standard wheelchairs or carts and assist in transferring patients onto and off of treatment tables
- Visually align patients, equipment and film while in dim lighting
- Distinguish colors on computer screens and patient markings
- Monitor patients during treatment visually and via audio monitors
- Hear and identify various equipment and background sounds during equipment operations
- Input patient treatment data into treatment consoles and computers using keyboards
- Communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with patients and staff members
- Read and apply patient set up instructions as stated in treatment charts
- Organize and accurately perform the individual steps in a simulation or treatment procedure in the proper sequence
- Interact with immunosuppressed patients and patients who may have a communicable disease
- Fabricate patient-shielding blocks, which may contain heavy metals and produce vapors that may cause skin rashes or respiratory irritation in hypersensitive individuals
Radiation therapists may be exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation during their careers.
You must be able to perform the essential functions of the profession and meet the standards of the curriculum. Students seeking exceptions to these standards or reasonable accommodations should initiate their request with the program's director.
Fluency in written and spoken English is essential for success in the program and to ensure patient safety. Applicants must demonstrate objective competency in English through the admission interview and may be required to submit results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination or equivalent examination.
Applicants will be judged not only on their scholastic accomplishments, but also on their physical and emotional capacities to meet the requirements of the program's curriculum and graduate as skilled and effective practitioners, with reasonable accommodations, if applicable. To preserve the welfare of students and patients, each MSHS program will establish minimum standards which are deemed essential for safety in practicing that respective profession. Applicants seeking accommodations should initiate their request with the specific Program Director.
In addition to these general qualities, admissions committees for each program may require additional specific admission standards. Documentation of these program-specific standards is available from each individual Program Director.
Additional Admission Requirements
Applicants offered admission to MSHS programs must also comply with the following prevailing institutional policies and procedures:
- Immunization
- Occupational Health Review and/or Physical Exam
- Background Study
- Drug Screen
- Health Insurance
- HIPAA, Confidentiality, and other training deemed necessary by Mayo Clinic and/or the MSHS Program in which you are offered admission.
Specific questions about these requirements may be directed to the school.
Failure to comply or to provide requested documentation is grounds for rescinding an admission offer or terminating admission.
Equal opportunity
Mayo School of Health Sciences upholds all federal and state laws that preclude discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, disabilities or veteran's status.
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